


The Heart of an Author

by Oroboro



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Umineko no Naku Koro ni | When the Seagulls Cry
Genre: Crossover, Dark, F/F, Gore, Metafiction, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-01-17 03:09:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 82,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1371673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oroboro/pseuds/Oroboro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mystery. Love. Magic. Murder. Truth. These are all important elements in the murder mystery Fluttershy has written, and is now asking Twilight to read. But the novel stars 'Twilight Sparkle', and she wrestles with the metafictional dissonance involved in reading a novel about herself and her friends. Twilight must do her best to solve the mystery, reconcile her own feelings about this ordeal, and figure out just what Fluttershy is trying to say by writing all this in the first place as the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This is a thematic crossover with the visual novel 'Umineko No Naku Koro Ni.' No prior knowledge of Umineko should be necessary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Twilight Sparkle stared up at the bookshelf before her, and wondered if she should get the book she wanted using her magic or her wings. Spike was off helping Rarity with something today and she didn’t have any duties as a Princess to worry about at the moment, so it seemed like as good of a day as any to simply curl up and read a nice book.

After a few more moments of pondering, Twilight settled on just pulling the book down with magic. She could use the practice, but if she messed up with her wings, she’d have to spend time cleaning that was better spent reading. Slightly pleased with herself at avoiding a potential disaster, Twilight trotted over to her favorite reading cushion, ready to settle in for the day.

As these things tend to go, right as Twilight began to get comfortable, she was interrupted by a soft knocking at her door.

 _Well, I guess I really shouldn’t be too surprised_. Twilight let out a light sigh, and then smiled anyway despite her disappointment. She put her book to the side and headed over to the door. Opening it, she found Fluttershy standing there, fidgeting nervously and carrying a satchel draped over her flanks.

“Fluttershy! I haven’t seen you around in awhile, how have you been?” Twilight asked, smiling.

“Oh, um. Hi Twilight. I’ve been… good. And um, busy I guess. This isn’t a bad time, is it? I know you have a lot of important things to do now, and I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight took one last look back at her abandoned book, knowing that she probably wouldn’t be getting any reading in today, and then turned back to her friend. “Not at all, Fluttershy, come right in.” There would always be other days.

Closing the door behind her as Fluttershy walked in, Twilight turned towards the kitchen. “Would you like anything? Tea? Maybe some cookies or something? Spike isn’t in right now, but he made some pretty nice cookies the other day. They’re still relatively fresh.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary, Twilight, I just…” Fluttershy trailed off, staring at her hooves and fidgeting slightly, then pausing and nodding to herself before looking back up. “I mean, I guess that would be nice.”

Beaming, Twilight made her way to the kitchen in order to get some refreshments for her unexpected guest. Fluttershy took the time to unhook her satchel and lay it on the floor next to her before standing around somewhat awkwardly, waiting for Twilight to get back. She alternated between staring at the floor and glancing around at the various books in the library. After some time, Twilight returned with the promised snacks and the two of them sat down at a table.

“Mmm, these are quite good, Twilight. Thank you,” Fluttershy said, washing down one of the cookies with a sip of tea.

“Aren’t they? The tea is a special blend I bought in Canterlot the last time I was at the palace, but I haven’t really found many occasions to bring it out. A bit pricey, but definitely worth it. Although the shopkeeper tried to give it to me for free on account of, well, you know.” Twilight emphasized her point by stretching her wings slightly, a sour expression on her face. “I practically had to order him to let me pay full price.”

“I see... That must be difficult to get used to,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, I’m still working on it,” Twilight said. “But enough about my griping. What brings you here, Fluttershy? You seem troubled.”

Fluttershy coughed, choking on her tea slightly. “Oh, excuse me. Um, was I that obvious?”

Twilight smiled, giggling slightly as Fluttershy wiped her mouth with a napkin. “You’re like an open book, Fluttershy. I haven’t seen you in three weeks, you come directly here, and you’re super nervous? Tell me what’s up, and I’ll do what I can to help.”

Fluttershy deflated slightly, looking up at Twilight with a small flicker of hope in her eyes. “Oh. Thank you… you’re a good friend, Twilight. I just… wanted to ask you a favor, if that’s okay.”

Twilight simply nodded in response, and Fluttershy closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. “Do you remember when you lent me that mystery novel a while back?”

Twilight blinked, caught somewhat off guard. “Yes? That was the first volume of the “Mystery Mares” series, right? Did you like it?”

“Oh yes, I loved it. I mean, in perspective it’s really more of a beginner series for fillies, but I still read them all,” Fluttershy said, perking up as she launched into a longer explanation. “After I finished that one, I looked for similar stories and read a lot of the old mystery classics, and even a few modern, experimental types of mystery fiction. I’ve, um, been doing a lot of reading lately.”

Twilight frowned as she considered her friend’s newfound interest. “I guess that explains what you’ve been up to… but if you were reading all these books, how come I didn’t see you here at the library?”

“Oh, I came by a lot, but you were never in. Spike helped me get some of them and I special ordered the rest,” said Fluttershy.

“I see,” said Twilight, bringing a hoof to her chin. “Honestly I recommended you that book totally at random. I had no idea you’d enjoy the genre so much! But I’m glad you did. So, what’s the favor you need?”

Fluttershy looked away again, before standing up and making her way to the satchel she had left by the door. “Well, um, you see. After reading all those mystery novels, I kind of started to get an idea in my head. I wanted to really do something, but I didn’t think I could. Then one night I had a really inspirational dream, and all my ideas came together and I was determined enough to just go for it,” she said, rambling on while bringing the satchel to the table. Opening the bag, she pulled out a small book and placed it on the table between her and Twilight.

“Could you um, read this and tell me what you think?” Fluttershy asked, ducking her head and peeking out from behind her bangs.

“This is…” Twilight frowned, placing her hoof on the book in front of her. “Wait. Fluttershy, are you saying you wrote this?” When Fluttershy nodded meekly, Twilight let out a low whistle. “That’s amazing! And in such a short time…”

Twilight levitated the book with her magic, casually flipping through the pages and noting Fluttershy’s neat, nearly perfect calligraphy. “Sure, I’d be happy to read this for you. But, can you tell me exactly what you’re looking for? Do you want constructive criticism and a technical critique? Or do you just want me to read through and tell you what I think?”

“Oh. Well, I was mostly hoping you could read it and solve the mystery. But um, I guess the other stuff would be nice too,” Fluttershy said, staring at Twilight expectantly.

"Did you... want me to read it _now?_ " When Fluttershy nodded in response, Twilight glanced back at the book she had originally planned to read, smiling wryly. “No problem then. I _guess_ I can set aside time today for reading.”

Twilight got up from the table and moved to her reading cushions, settling in to get comfortable for the second time that day. “Did you want me to read it out loud? Hearing something read back to you can be helpful for evaluating your own writing, I think.” 

“Oh. Yes, that would be lovely,” Fluttershy said, grabbing a cushion of her own and pulling it up next to Twilight.

Twilight cleared her throat before opening Fluttershy’s book to the first page, and began. “Princess Twilight Sparkle…”

Twilight blinked, staring at the words on the page in front of her in confusion, and then quickly skimmed the rest of the page to confirm what she saw. “Uh, Fluttershy? Am I the main character in your story?” she asked, a note of apprehension in her voice.

Fluttershy blushed, looking away. “Yes. Well, sort of, not really. I mean, the character is Twilight Sparkle, and she looks like you and I tried to make her act like you, but you’re you, and that Twilight is just a fictional character.” Fluttershy paused, taking a breath before mumbling, “They say you’re supposed to write what you know…”

Frowning, Twilight skimmed through the book again, looking for familiar names that jumped out to her. “The rest of our friends are in here too?”

Fluttershy nodded, hanging her head. “It’s probably weird, isn’t it? I’m sorry Twilight; this was all a silly idea. Forget I ever said anything.”

Fluttershy jumped up to try and grab the book, but Twilight pulled it away. “Not so fast. You are right though. It _IS_ kind of strange, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Sure, it’ll take me some time to get used to it, but it’ll be a unique experience. I’ve certainly never read a novel starring me before!” Twilight said, smiling in hopes of reassuring Fluttershy. 

Pacing back and forth, Fluttershy furrowed and unfurrowed her brow before finally acquiescing and settling back down next to Twilight. “Okay, if you’re sure it’s not a problem,” she said.

Once again Twilight pulled the book back in front of her, pausing to glance at the cover. “Does this story have a name? I don’t see one here.”

“Oh, right,” Fluttershy said. “I wasn’t able to get the cover engraved or anything, but the title of the story is—

“The Legend of Dragon-Mare Manor”


	2. Chapter 1 - Reunions

Princess Twilight Sparkle stared into the small mirror she held before her and was not particularly pleased with what she saw. It had been five years now since her coronation and the deep bags under her eyes were a testament to the toils and responsibilities of being a princess. Any day now she feared she would have to start plucking gray hairs out of her mane.

Her musing was interrupted when a large jolt sent her flying upwards, her head bouncing off the roof of the carriage. The shock nearly caused her to drop the small mirror, but she managed to grab it again with magic before the fragile glass hit the floor. Grumbling as she held a hoof to her smarting head, she opened up the window, poking her head out into the freezing air. 

“Sorry about that, your highness!” one of the transport ponies called out through the rushing wind. “Expect a bit more turbulence up ahead! There are some nasty storms in the area! We’re ahead of them, but don’t expect us to take off again anytime soon once we get there!”

Twilight frowned, closing the window and cutting off the blast of chilled air. _Not ‘Transport ponies’. They had names._ She had promised herself she would try to remember them more often. _“Steel Wind”, and… “Razor Wind”._ That was right; she had worked with them before. They were brothers, dependable as you can get when it came to long distance transport, but had a knack for causing trouble off the clock. It was getting so hard to keep track of it all…

Twilight let out a deep sigh and stared out the window, slipping her mirror back into one of her bags. The silhouettes of the approaching mountain range seemed almost ominous as they slowly grew closer, like the waiting maw of a gigantic beast. An unnecessarily dark setting for the ‘Princess Conference’ she was about to attend.

Disregarding how important it was for the four princesses to meet at least once a year and discuss all manners of politics and plans for Equestria’s future, she was looking forward to this trip for another reason. These gatherings were also a reunion for her and all of her friends.

Made an official tradition by Pinkie Pie three years earlier, it served as a chance for all of them to get together. Ambitions, dreams, and responsibilities had unfortunately scattered the six friends across Equestria. Twilight made sure to keep in touch of course, but only on a yearly basis like this could everypony’s schedules all match up at the same time. Her heart fluttered with the anticipation of seeing them all after what felt like far too long. 

Twilight braced herself as the carriage shook again, before steadying into a gradual decline as it passed under the cloud cover. Her destination slowly came to view below her. She could see a large mansion nestled in a valley between the peaks of three of the largest mountains. The grounds were blanketed with snow, but even from here she could see that behind the mansion there was a large patch of green, perhaps a garden of some sort.

After a smooth landing on a shoveled out runway, Twilight exited the carriage, wobbling slightly after having been being cooped up for so long. Grabbing her bags from inside with magic, she turned to see Razor and Steel already unhooking each other from the carriage, glancing up uneasily at the storm.

Twilight pulled herself up into her regal demeanor, and nodded her head slightly to the two brothers. “Thank you very much for your service, Steel and Razor Wind. You’ve done an excellent job, especially with the weather the way it is. You are both dismissed, and can leave at your will. I do however ask that you use your best judgment as to whether or not it’s still safe to fly back.”

Both brothers blushed, pawing at the ground and turning away slightly. “Thank’ya very much Yer Highness. We were just doing our jobs, that’s all. But by the looks of things we might be stuck here for the duration. Sorry if we’re intruding on your conference and all,” said the slightly larger, grayish stallion who Twilight was mostly sure was Steel Wind.

“Here, lemme get that for you!” a voice called out from somewhere up above, echoing across the valley. After a slight pause and rushing of wind, there was a massive explosion of rainbow colored light and a thundering boom, blasting away the clouds and revealing the sun framing Rainbow Dash as she raced back towards the ground.

Even as the sonic rainboom began to fade away, Twilight could already see the storm clouds creeping back in. “Well, there’s your chance. Better take it while you can,” Twilight said. Bowing one more time, the two brothers took off into the clear sky, leaving the carriage behind. Weather permitting, they would return in a few days when the conference was over.

“I’m telling you Twi, these storms have a mind of their own. I’ve been out here for a week now busting them up, to keep this place from being drowned in snow, but they just keep coming back. This blizzard I think is the big one they’ve all been building up to, and it's practically chomping at the bits,” Rainbow Dash said, coming to a graceful landing next to Twilight and pulling up the goggles on her flight suit.

“I hope it can last a little bit longer,” Twilight said. “My brother and sister aren’t supposed to arrive till tomorrow. Whose idea was it to hold the conference here anyway?”

“Fluttershy’s, I think,” Rainbow Dash said. “Something about the garden and the history. She really loves it here; she’s been working as caretaker for months now. This place IS pretty cool, even if the location leaves a bit to be desired.”

“I see,” Twilight said.

The two friends stared at each other for a moment in awkward silence, before they both burst out laughing.

“It’s good to see you Dash,” Twilight said, wrapping her forehooves around her in a tight hug.

“You too, Twi,” Rainbow Dash said as she returned the hug with an ear splitting grin.

After a few more moments, Rainbow Dash pulled away from the embrace, glancing back up at the sky. “I’ve got some more clouds to go bust. We can catch up more later on. Just go on inside, the others are all here already. Later!” she shouted before she took off again.

Twilight made her way to the front porch, pausing for a moment to admire the intricate woodwork on the set of wide double doors. As she pushed them open, she was greeted by a blast of warm air and a flood of soft lights inviting her inside.

“Welcome to Dragon-mare manor. I hope you enjoy your stay,” a soft voice greeted Twilight as she stepped inside, and she almost shifted her mannerisms back into ‘Princess Mode’ when she realized the formal greeting had come from Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy!” Twlight said, caught somewhat off guard. “Um… that dress looks lovely on you.”

“Oh, thank you very much. Rarity made this for me. I really like it,” Fluttershy said, preening slightly at the complement. Her gown resembled something you’d expect to see on a palace servant, but it was far more elaborate and well designed, along with a purple and gold trim similar to that which adorned the mansion.

“Would you like me to take your scarf?” Fluttershy asked, bowing her head slightly and extending a forehoof.

“Thank you, but come on. What are you doing Fluttershy? You don’t have to serve me,” Twilight said, letting her bags float down to the floor and taking off her scarf.

“Oh. But I’m um, working as the caretaker here right now. And I’ve been taking my job very seriously, and that includes looking after all of the guests and making sure they’re comfortable,” Fluttershy said. 

Twilight chuckled, smiling and shaking her head at the earnest sincerity in her friends tone. “Alright, if you insist.” Twilight floated her scarf up for Fluttershy to take, but as soon as she had a decent grip on it, Twilight yanked back, granting her a startled “Eep!” as Twilight pulled Fluttershy into a surprise hug.

“It’s good to see you, seriously. And don’t you dare play servant during this entire trip! All of us deserve some time to relax, you hear me?” Twilight scolded. She pulled back from the hug and bopped Fluttershy on the nose playfully. Fluttershy began to blush and turn away, her mouth working soundlessly.

“Are Princess Celestia and Luna here already?” Twilight asked, her question snapping Fluttershy out of her stupor.

“Oh, um, yes. They got here this morning, but they’re both pretty tired from the journey, so they don’t want be disturbed until tomorrow.”

Twilight nodded, frowning. It would’ve been nice to get some personal time with the two, but oh well. “So, where’s my room?”

“It’s upstairs and to the left,” Fluttershy said, pointing up the set of wide stairs in the middle of the entrance hall. “Third door on the right. It’s marked as yours, so, um... Just let me hang this up, I’ll show—“

Fluttershy was interrupted by the sound of two sets of hooves from above, followed by harsh voices.

“Dangit! Y’just don’t get it, do ya? Yer completely missing the point, as always!” Applejack skidded into view at the top of the stairs, looking frazzled as she wheeled around to face her pursuer.

“Applejack, sweetie,” Rarity said as she trotted into view, drawing out her words as if she was admonishing a child. “Come on now. Be reasonable! I love your apples – I do! But just because I love them doesn’t mean I want them all the time. A girl needs a little variety!”

Applejack snorted, stomping her hoof down so hard the chandeliers shook slightly. “Of course y’do,” Applejack snarled through gritted teeth. “And just what the hay am I supposed to do when you up and decide that you’re bored of—“

“Twilight, darling!” Rarity squealed as she noticed Twilight, immediately breaking off from her fight to dash down the stairs and hug her friend. “Oh, I don’t mean to be rude but are you getting enough sleep? You look positively dreadful. But not to worry. Even if you do have that big meeting tomorrow, make sure you get plenty of rest and relaxation, okay?”

“Uh, thanks Rarity. I’ll do my best,” Twilight said with a note of concern in her voice as she pulled away from the hug. “Are you two fighting about something? Is everything okay?

“Nah, it’s nothin’ to worry about Twi. We were just havin’ a bit of a disagreement,” Applejack said as she made her way down the stairs, her earlier anger seemingly evaporated. “If y’really wanna know, we can talk about it later. But Rarity’s right, you should really be taking better care of yourself.”

Twilight frowned, but shrugged and decided to let it go, giving Applejack a quick hug. “I’ll hold you to that, Applejack. But it’s good to see you too.”

“Right, well. Fluttershy, can y’help me in the kitchen with some things? There’s still some stuff I wanna get ready for dinner,” Applejack asked.

“Um, sure. But I have to show Twilight to her room first,” Fluttershy said.

“No, that’s fine, go with her. I should be able to find it myself pretty easily,” Twilight said.

Nodding, Applejack and Fluttershy trotted off, presumably towards the kitchens, leaving Twilight and Rarity alone in the entrance hall. Rarity looked over at Twilight and nodded her head in the direction of the stairs, and two ascended together.

“What on earth is that?" Twilight asked, stopping once she reached the last step and looking up.

“Oh, that ghastly thing? That is the… namesake of this manor. Or at least an artist’s interpretation of her. I don’t really like it, but Dash seems to think it’s the coolest thing she’s ever seen, and Fluttershy practically worships her for some reason,” Rarity said, scrunching her face up.

Adorning the wall at the top of the stairs, looking down at all who entered the mansion was a massive portrait of what, at first glance appeared to be a magnificent golden alicorn with a short purple mane. Except for the scaled, leather wings, the line of spikes running down her back all the way into a coiled dragon’s tail, and her somewhat bestial features she could be easily confused for a relative of Princess Celestia.

“So she’s why they call it 'Dragon-Mare' manor, huh? I didn’t think it was such a literal title,” Twilight mused, conjuring a ball of light to illuminate the painting a little better. “Why does she look so sad?”

Rarity frowned, looking at the painting a little closer herself. “I’m not really sure darling. There’s a big legend associated with it and all, but I can’t say I’ve really paid much attention. There’s a plaque here, but it doesn’t really explain anything, per say.”

Twilight moved the ball of light lower and inspected the plaque Rarity had pointed out before beginning to read out loud.

“From a wish sprouts a seed of power  
To grant your heart's deepest desire  
Bless this seed with your greatest love  
But this love must be born in blood  
In death lies truth – the heart laid bare  
No sacrifice too great  
Abandon self  
Rend asunder, and begin anew.”

Twilight blinked, quickly reading over the passage again. “Well that… certainly is morbid.”

“That it most certainly is. I swear, I can feel her eyes following me every time I walk past this staircase,” Rarity said, shuddering visibly. “Anyway Twilight, our rooms are in opposite directions. Third door on your right, I believe. I’ve got some things I’m working on at the moment, so I’ll probably see you at dinner. Ciao!”

Twilight nodded and waved as Rarity trotted off down the right hallway. Instead of leaving immediately, she stayed to gaze on the painting a bit more. Just who was this Dragon-Mare? She was familiar with many old pony-tales, but this one had apparently slipped past her.  
Well, it was clear that she’d have to ask Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash about it later. She also had a hunch that there was a library somewhere in the mansion where she might be able to find out even more.

Filing that riddle away to tackle later, Twilight made her way down the left hallway, quickly coming to a door emblazoned with her own cutie mark. This was obviously it. As she reached out to open the door, Twilight hesitated. There was one friend she hadn’t run into yet…

Grinning mischievously, Twilight backed against the wall to side of the door, and swung it open with magic.

“SURPRISE!" Pinkie Pie screamed as she burst from the room in a corona of confetti and streamers, fired straight from her party cannon and crashed directly into the wall.

“Huh? Twlight? Where’d you go?” Pinkie Pie asked, wobbling as she tried to stand and somewhat distracted by the stars circling her head. “Wait! Oh no, I knew I shouldn’t have set my party cannon on maximum! I must’ve hit her so hard that she’s all partied out!”

Unable to suppress her giggles, Twilight leapt forward, tackling Pinkie Pie and calling out “Surprise!” before she could fully regain her bearings. Both mares collapsed onto the ground, rolling around in gales of laughter.

Pinkie Pie began bouncing around Twilight as she regained her breath. “Wow, you sure got me there! I had a big surprise planned for you and everything; I was going yell SURPRISE and then fire myself out of the party cannon to give you a surprise party hug but then you gave ME the surprise party hug!”

“How about just a regular hug to finish it off then?” Twilight asked as she embraced Pinkie Pie again.

“Ooh, those are nice too!”

* * *

Twilight stood up as she reached the chapter break, stretching her legs and wings. Her throat was starting to get a bit sore from reading out loud – she could use a glass of water, but she also remembered there was a spell to strengthen vocal cords for long bouts of oratory.

“This is very interesting, Fluttershy! I’m enjoying it a lot. I tend to get pretty immersed in stories when I read anyway, but this feels like I’m really there as part of the story,” Twilight said. 

Fluttershy had a glazed look in her eyes, completely lost in the telling of her own writing. At Twilight’s address ,she snapped back to attention. “Oh. I’m glad you’re enjoying it so far.”

“Well, we’ve got a cast, a location, a closed circle, and a dark legend. Seems ripe for a mystery to me! I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out,” Twilight said, giving an earnest smile. Although quite frankly, Fluttershy’s vision of the future was a little off-putting.

“Just one question though,” Twilight said, tapping the book with a hoof. “I know it’s in a hypothetical future and all, but how come Spike isn’t with me?”

“…”

Fluttershy froze. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open as the color drained from her face.

“Uh, Fluttershy? Are you okay?”

“Ohmygosh,” Fluttershy blurted out as she dove forward, grabbing her book and flipping through it rapidly. “No no no, oh no I’m so sorry Twlight. I can’t believe I would do something like this!”

“Do what, exactly?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fluttershy drooped, sinking low onto the floor and covered her face with her hooves. “I um. I guess I must’ve gotten so caught up in the story I wanted to tell about the six of us that I… forgot to put Spike in the story entirely.”

Twilight blinked a few times, staring down at her friend before bursting into laughter.

“Oh please please please don’t ever tell Spike this; he would be so hurt. Oh, how could I do something like this? I’ll um, go back and add a line near the beginning about how he’s sick with the flu and couldn’t make the trip,” Fluttershy wailed, trying to hide her head under a nearby pillow.

Twilight lent a hoof to Fluttershy to help her up. “Hey, it’s fine. We won’t tell Spike. Although really?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You forgot about him even with all this stuff about ‘Dragon-Mares’?”

Fluttershy nodded meekly and Twilight took the book and found her place again. “Give me a few minutes to get some water and cast a spell and we’ll keep going, okay?"

* * *

Twilight Sparkle rolled over in her bed, yawning and blinking her tired eyes. Frowning as she tried to remember where exactly she was, Twilight got up slowly and made her way over to a nearby window. Only pitch blackness and a howling blizzard greeted her from the outside world.

“I guess I dozed off earlier… I’m sure someone would’ve woken me up if it was time for dinner, so I probably haven’t missed anything yet,” Twilight said, talking to herself as she let out another yawn. Even though she hadn’t planned on napping, she felt a lot more refreshed and comfortable and was glad she had.

After taking a few more moments to stretch and finish waking up, Twilight poked her head out into the hallway. Now that the world outside was covered in the deep dark of winter, the hallways were illuminated by soft and flickering lamplight, casting every corner with eerie shadows.

As Twilight made her way back towards the entrance hall, past the painting and down the stairs, she remembered Rarity’s words from earlier. A chill ran up Twilight’s spine and she quickened her pace slightly to escape that strange feeling of being watched.

When she was standing at the base of the stairs in the entrance hall again, Twilight paused, looking around at the various hallways and doors that all extended from this central hub. “Where did everypony go, I wonder…” Twilight asked out loud.

Before she could make a decision on which direction to start exploring, Twilight jumped as the front doors burst open with a resounding bang when a pony sized snowball crashed through them, the blizzard outside taking the opportunity to enter uninvited.

After realizing what was happening, Twilight smiled wryly at the snowball, which had a rainbow colored mane poking out the top of it. As Twilight made to close the doors with her magic, Rainbow Dash burst from the snowball, scattering snow everywhere as she shook herself off violently.

“I give up. You win this time, blizzard,” Rainbow Dash said through her chattering teeth.

“Is it really that bad out there?” Twilight asked, giggling slightly at the state of her friend.

“Oh! Hey again. Yeah, it’s pretty rough. There’s nothing more I can do out there,” Rainbow Dash said as she shook more snow out of her ears.

Frowning, Twilight glanced at the door. “Do you think my brother and sister will be able to make it tomorrow?” It wouldn’t be the end of the world if the conference was delayed by a day or two, but everypony did have their own schedules to worry about.

“I don’t think even a dragon could fly for long in this weather,” Rainbow Dash said, grinning. “But hey, that just means a longer vacation for us before all that important junk happens, right?”

“Well, that’s certainly one way of looking at it,” Twilight said, returning Rainbow’s grin.

“Man, I’m starving. Is dinner ready yet?” Rainbow Dash asked, changing the subject.

Twilight frowned, looking back around at the various doors. “Dunno. I just woke up from a nap. I’m not even sure where the kitchen is, to be honest.”

Rainbow Dash laughed as she clapped Twilight on the shoulder playfully. “Geez Twilight, I’ve been outside busting my feathers and you’re in here napping? Sure sounds great being a princess. Come on, the kitchen’s this way.”

Twilight crouched playfully, spreading her wings and lighting her horn with a quick burst of magic. “Better be careful Rainbow, I’m pretty sure an Alicorn Princess could do your job with little effort!”

“You? A weatherpony? Pleaase. You wouldn’t last a day out there. I bet I could do your job way easier than you could do mine.” Rainbow Dash paused, looking back as she opened a door to the lower left of the stairs. “You coming or what?”

“Princess Rainbow Dash. I’d like to see that!” Twilight giggled as she teleported into the hallway Rainbow Dash was making her way down, coming out in a gallop as she wordlessly challenged her friend to a race.

Rainbow Dash was faster of course, in addition to actually knowing where she was going, and quickly zoomed through the hallways trying to leave Twilight behind. She was able to keep up however, mostly by ~~cheating~~ teleporting ahead whenever she had the chance.

Fluttershy squeaked as the two mares burst into the kitchen at the same time, collapsing to the floor as they rolled around with laughter.

“Hey, come on Twi, that’s against the rules!” Rainbow Dash said in between breaths.

“Who said there were any rules?” countered Twilight, standing up and wiping a tear from her eye.

Turning to Fluttershy, she said “Hey. Sorry if we’re intruding Fluttershy. Maybe we got a little carried away there.”

“Oh no, it’s okay. Um, dinner’s not quite ready yet if that’s what you were wondering. But it should be soon.”

Nodding as she glanced over the kitchen, Twilight was struck by a sudden twinge of melancholy. If only fun like this wasn’t such a rare occasion nowadays.

“Argh! I’m sooooo hungry Fluttershy. Come on, give me a little taste! Pleaaase?” Rainbow Dash begged, hovering over to the food Fluttershy was preparing like a persistent fly.

Fluttershy huffed up, and waggled a spoon at Rainbow Dash threateningly. “No. You’ll have to wait for it just like everypony else. It tastes much better that way.”

Grumbling, Rainbow Dash flew out of the room and around the corner, mild curses echoing down the hallway. “It does smell really good Fluttershy. You must have worked hard,” Twilight said.

“You don’t get any either, Twilight. Even if it is you,” Fluttershy said before turning back to the pot she was stirring. “But um... Thank you.”

Smiling, Twilight stood in the kitchen in silence for a few moments, watching Fluttershy cook. She seemed so at home in this kitchen already.

“Um, Twilight… I hope you don’t mind me asking or anything, but you seem a little down and I was just wondering if everything is okay?“

Twilight sighed and shook her head, smiling at the fact Fluttershy was able to pick up on her mood. “It’s nothing, really. I just… miss you guys a lot. It’s so great to see you all like this… but I miss the times when this kind of a thing happened every day, you know?”

Fluttershy made a quiet sound of acknowledgement as Twilight shared her feelings, but stayed focused on her work for awhile before she put her spoon down and turned around to face Twilight. “Um... Do you remember the conference last year?”

Twilight frowned, raising a hoof to her chin. “Down on the rainbow beaches of Mareami? That sure was a great party. Why do you ask?”

“It was such a beautiful place, and I’d love to visit again. But Pinkie insisted we try somewhere new every year so it would leave a lasting impression each time,” Fluttershy said, her eyes focused with uncharacteristic determination.

“Pinkie Pie certainly knows her parties,” Twilight said, thinking back. “That’s right… you drew the short straw, so you got to pick and plan the next event. So you chose here then?”

“Yes. I mean, um, well…” Fluttershy faltered, looking down and fidgeting slightly. “I m-miss you too Twilight, but um. I’m working as hard as I can because… I want us all to create memories we can cherish forever. Even when we can’t be together.”

Twilight stared at Fluttershy, considering the blushing mare’s situation. Dreams and ambition had pulled them all further apart than any of them truly wished. Rainbow Dash had become a champion flier and fulfilled her dream of joining the Wonderbolts. Rarity was a world renowned fashion designer and had exclusive contracts in major cities all over Equestria. Applejack had found herself the manager of dozens of farms after Flim and Flam had returned one year, promising increased production, storage, bottling, and distribution for a much more reasonable price. And Pinkie Pie was well… Pinkie Pie. But Fluttershy?

For all Twilight knew, Fluttershy’s dreams were never lofty or ambitious. She still lived in her cottage, tending to her animals, her closest friends only stopping by to visit when they could make the time. So if she had been here for several months already, working hard to make everything perfect…

Twilight’s heart leapt for her friend, and she trotted over to place a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sure this will be the best conference ever. But as long as we’re all together, it’s all worth it in the end.”

Fluttershy turned a deep crimson and crouched behind her mane, her mouth working soundlessly. “Th-thanks. I’ll um, do my best,” she managed to squeak after a long pause.

Twilight grinned wryly as she decided to snap Fluttershy out of her embarrassment with a simple observation. “Your pot is boiling over.”

With an adorable yelp, Fluttershy spun around, nearly tripping over her own hooves as she clamored for the spoon. Laughing, Twilight levitated another spoon down from the shelf and helped get the pot under control.

“Here, let me help out a bit.”


	3. Chapter 2 - A Seed of Love

The feast laid out before Twilight could really only be described as a work of art. Fancy salads, elaborate soup dishes, beautiful floral arrangements, all manner of apple related dishes, and topped off with a giant cake in the center of the table. It was all meticulously crafted and arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner, complete with elaborate doilies, coasters, and tablecloth which Twilight could only assume was hand crafted by the beaming unicorn across the table.

“LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!” Pinkie Pie screamed as the room around them exploded in a shower of confetti and streamers. Twilight flinched instinctively, and almost fired up her horn in an attempt to protect her meal but quickly noticed that none of the paper bits were falling over the table.

 _Even that is carefully designed,_ Twilight thought before she began to laugh when Pinkie immediately devoured half the cake. While she was used to such elaborate care and extravagant meals by now, nothing could beat a meal shared with friends, whether fancy or humble.

As everypony began to dig in around the table, various conversations and bits of small talk sprung up. Distracted by a particularly delicious apple salad, Twilight decided to just listen for awhile instead of joining in.

“Um. Your mane looks really pretty Applejack. You should get it done up more often,” Fluttershy said.

“Oh.. Uh, y’think so? Er, I mean, thanks sugarcube,” Applejack said, blushing and glancing over at Rarity who nodded reassuringly before continuing. “It’s uh, y’know. A special occasion and all. Do you think the princesses will be joining us?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, they asked to have dinner delivered to their room.”

Frowning, Twilight ran a hoof through her own mane, considering the state of it and feeling slightly confused. Everypony seemed to be taking this way more seriously than she was. Dressing up, making food, elaborate decorations... she just wasn’t sure what warranted all this effort and formality.

“Oooh, Twilight!” Pinkie pie said, waving her arms frantically as Twilight snapped to attention. “Do you remember a couple months ago when I was throwing that party in Canterlot and you were there too attending a royal ball of some kind? I don’t remember what for but I do remember that it was super boring. Then you stopped by my party for a bit but couldn’t stay long and it was kind of sad. Anyway after you left there were bunches of reaaally hilarious coincidences, with those two noble-ponies who got into the wrong party and then when that drink accidentally got spilled on Vinyl Scratch’s equipment and then somepony used somepony else’s wig to put out the fire! And then it got even funnier when…”

As Pinkie rambled on with her story, Twilight continued to smile and nod. _Well, not everypony is taking this too seriously…_

 

As the dinner wound on, Twilight indulged herself in another salad, a couple of apple fritters and dumplings, and a slice of (what was left of the) cake before she was finally stuffed. As she poured herself another glass of water, she noticed Applejack and Rarity were leaning in next to each other, and seemed to be having a hushed conversation. Feeling nosy, Twilight decided to get a little closer and listen in.

“… C’mon now Rar’, I thought we discussed this already. Yer the one who’s good at flowery speeches and declarations of love. I seen you practicin’ in the mirror already,” Applejack said.

“Oh but that’s just it… although I loathe to admit it, quite frankly I talk too much. What I have written sounds like an acceptance speech. Everypony will be asleep before I get to the important part!” Rarity said as she reached over to hold Applejack’s hooves with her own. “When you say it, it’s always so… straight from the heart, and well, _honest_. And that’s what I want.”

Applejack’s eyes darted nervously around the table, and Twilight quickly pretended to be interested in the floral arrangements, rather than eavesdropping on what was apparently an even more private conversation than she thought. “I just… I don’t know how to say it,” Applejack whispered fearfully.

“Just tell them the truth,” Rarity said with a wink and smile, before she stood up and banged on the side of her glass with a spoon. “Attention everypony… Applejack and I have an announcement to make.”

The room quieted down as Applejack stood up and looked around the room nervously and cleared her throat. Her hoof, Twilight noted, was still cupping Rarity’s.

“Uh. Hey ya’ll. It uh, sure is good to be here with all you again. It’s, erm…” Applejacked paused, swallowing and fidgeting with her hat slightly. She turned to Rarity, who gave her an encouraging smile, and Applejack turned back to the table, a more determined look on her face.

“Ah, I’m no good at these. Look. Th’four of you are the greatest friends anypony could ask for. We’ve been through everything together, and now I wanna share this happiness with y’all too.”

Applejack closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “I… love Rarity. I have for a long time. Last year fate gave us a chance to discover those feelings were mutual. And I’m telling you this now because we’ve decided to spend the rest of our lives together.”

The table was silent for a long moment, Rarity positively beaming at her fiancé.

“You two are getting married!?” Rainbow Dash sputtered, spitting cider all over the table and quickly going into a coughing—

* * *

“Wait. What!?” Twilight cried out as the implications of what she had just read hit her.

Fluttershy snapped out of her listener’s stupor, looking up at Twilight with concern. “Um... Is everything okay Twilight?”

Twilight stared at the words on the page in disbelief, then glanced over at Fluttershy, then back to the page again before putting the book down. “Um, Fluttershy? Is there something about Rarity and Applejack you know that I don’t?”

“What? Oh no, of course not. I mean, not that I know of anyway,” Fluttershy said, blushing slightly. “This is all just fictional, Twilight.” 

Twilight worked her mouth soundlessly as she tried to figure out a way to voice her objections without hurting Fluttershy’s feelings. “Uh, Fluttershy, this is…” she stopped, raising a hoof and scratching her head in bewilderment.

Fluttershy picked up the book, and began flipping through some of the earlier pages. “Oh. Um, was the announcement too sudden? Maybe there should be more foreshadowing. I tried to slip some in the argument they had earlier, but it must have been too subtle to notice.”

“That’s… not really the problem here,” Twilight said, covering her face with her hoof in exasperation.

“Oh,” said Fluttershy, looking down at her book thoughtfully. “Well than maybe it’s—“

Twilight cut her off with a raised hoof. “Look, Fluttershy. How do you think Applejack and Rarity would feel if they knew you were writing a story about them being in a relationship? What about if this ends up getting published?”

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head vigorously. “Oh no, I never want that to happen. I don’t want anypony reading this. Except, um, you…”

Twilight closed her eyes, bringing her hoof down on the table softly. “Okay, so you don’t want this published and I won’t tell them if you don’t want me to… but why? Why Applejack and Rarity?”

“Oh,” Fluttershy blushed, smiling from behind her bangs. “I needed a romance subplot in order to properly tell the story. And, well…” Fluttershy ducked low, her blush growing even deeper. “I’ve always thought those two would make a pretty cute couple.”

Twilight bit her lower lip, glancing back at the book. This was… weird. Downright uncomfortable, even. Although it really was all just fictional (Or possibly not, she supposed), it somehow felt like an egregious invasion of her friends privacy.

Looking down at Fluttershy, who seemed lost in dreamland again, Twilight weighed her options. Whatever oddities she had written… and whatever surprises were still yet to come, it was clear that Fluttershy had poured her heart into her writing. It took a lot just to open up to her about it, and the fragile pegasus was as delicate as ever. Surely she could get over an uncomfortable topic for the sake of her friend?

Nodding to herself, Twilight levitated the book back in front of her. “Alright. Sorry about the interruption. I just wanted to clear some things up before continuing. “

 

As she searched for her place in the book, Twilight chuckled inwardly, composing a mental note.

_“Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I know I don’t write you these letters anymore, but if I did, something tells me by the end of this you’d have to read a particularly long one.._

* * *

“You two are getting married!?” Rainbow Dash sputtered, spitting cider all over the table and quickly going into a coughing fit. “That’s… that’s just…”

“Awesome!” Fluttershy squealed, just a hair louder than was typical for her as she clapped her hooves together. “Congratulations. Oh, I’m so happy for you.”

Twilight caught Fluttershy winking at Rarity out of the corner of her eye. If anypony knew about this in advance, it probably would’ve been her.

Across from the table, Pinkie Pie’s eyes had gone as wide as saucers, and she began vibrating at a rapidly increasing frequency. As she began to let out a high pitched squeal and inch closer to the couple, Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Pinkie Pie, would you be so kind as to plan our wedding reception?”

“YEEEEEEEESSSSS!!!” Pinkie Pie screamed as she shot off like a bottle rocket, bouncing off the ceiling and around the room like a super bouncy ball.

Even as she found herself chuckling at Pinkie’s antics, Twilight tried to pull all her thoughts together quickly. Honestly, she wasn’t quite sure how to feel about two of her best friends suddenly announcing their engagement to each other. Especially since she didn’t even know they were a couple until now. But whatever her own feelings about the matter, being a good friend was the most important thing she could do at the moment.

“Congratulations you two. This was sudden, but I’m really happy for you.” Twilight stood up, making her way over to the couple and placing a hoof on theirs. “I’d like to give you my blessings as both a royal princess of Equestria,” Twilight paused, giving them a warm smile, “and as your friend.”

“Oh Twilight, thank you…” Rarity said, sniffling as her eyes beginning to mist over. “Ugh, you promised yourself you wouldn’t cry. Get it together Rarity!”

Rainbow Dash flew over the table and up to Applejack, casually slinging a forehoof over her shoulder. “Geez. Congratulations! That’s pretty great and all, but did you really have to keep it a secret for so long?”

Applejack blushed, turning away and looking slightly ashamed. “Aw hay. It’s not like we were particularly tryin’ to keep it a secret or anything. There was just… never really a good time to bring it up. And it was only last month when I proposed and she said yes that we felt like… we had something strong enough together to show off to th’rest of you and be proud of.”

“Oooh, and such a gallant proposal it was,” Rarity said with a dramatic flourish, causing Applejack to roll her eyes. “I’ll have to tell you all about it later.”

“GROUP HUG!” Pinkie shouted, pulling the other five ponies into a stranglehold of an embrace.

* * *

“It’s um, right through here,” Fluttershy said, fumbling with the keys to what was apparently the back door to the mansion.

“Alright, let’s move this party to somewhere more fitting!” Rainbow Dash said.

As soon as Fluttershy pulled the door open a hair, the door banged open, hurling the dainty pegasus into Rainbow Dash with a blast of frozen air and whipping snow.

“How is this supposed to be better than inside? Where it’s all warm and toasty?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically as she tried to shield her face from the wind. The pitch blackness outside wasn’t helping matters either.

“Oh it’s really quite nice out there darling, but I’m afraid we’ll need your help to make it more… hospitable,” Rarity said as she and Applejack helped the downed pegasi to their hooves. “Could you give us a little light out there for starters?”

Shivering from the cold, Twilight focused her horn, conjuring a large ball of light which she sent to float up and out the door. She was surprised to see so much green illuminated under the soft magic. It was easily garden worthy of the royal palace. The trees were in full bloom, the grass was a luscious shade of green and flowers wreathed the several pools of water scattered about. Such carefully sculpted natural beauty was starkly contrasted by the snow still whirling about. 

With a tentative step forward, Twilight was surprised to find that the ground underneath her hooves was radiating warmth.

“CANNONBALL!” Pinkie yelled as she bolted outside and immediately made a big splash in one of the pools. Twilight’s worries about her friend freezing to death in the water were quickly squashed when she took a closer look and saw the steam rising from the pools.

“So there’s hot springs here. That’s pretty nice – but even with that it won’t be very nice out here with all this wind,” Twilight said, squinting as a particularly large gust blew more snow into her eyes.

“Kinda hopin’ you could take care of that too, Twi. Y’know, make a big shield or something,” Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight thought about it for a moment, and figured it should probably work. Channeling a more powerful spell, she felt a bead of sweat drip down her face as large pink bubble began to descend over the entire mansion. After a few more moments of focus, Twilight felt the wind stop and everything suddenly became quiet around them.

As she let the spell go, Twilight wiped the sweat off her brow and paused to admire her handiwork. She wasn’t her brother, but the shield would do its job keeping the storm out of the mansion. As well as anypony who wanted in or out. Although it was only strong to the point where anypony could probably break through if they tried hard enough, bringing the whole spell down with them.

With the wind cut off, Twilight could already feel the warmth of the garden starting to fill the area and she took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet smells of the flora and the dampness of the air.

“Hey Applejack, bet you can’t beat me in underwater wrestling!” Rainbow Dash said with a grin, flying towards one of the nearby hot springs.

Applejack immediately jumped at the challenge, and Rarity rolled her eyes. “Really now. Hot springs are not swimming pools. They are for relaxing.” With a sigh, she turned to Fluttershy and Twilight. “Care to join me?”

“Gladly,” Twilight said with a smile, and the three of them moved to one of the unoccupied pools while the other three splashed and played.

“Oh sweet Celestia that feels good,” Twilight moaned as she sunk into the hot water.  
Immediately she felt her tired muscles begin to loosen - stiff shoulders and joints she had forgotten weren’t supposed to feel like that in the first place.

After lounging in silence for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of laughter coming from nearby, Twilight turned to Rarity and spoke up. “So… you and Applejack, huh?”

Rarity smiled, leaning her head back as she stared skywards. “Life sure has a way of taking you by surprise, doesn’t it?”

“Since you mentioned surprises, I take it you knew in advance, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I still go to the spa with Rarity occasionally, and I knew they were dating,” Fluttershy mumbled, sinking into the water until her head was barely above it. “But I didn’t know there was going to be a wedding.”

Rarity laughed gaily, turning to face the others. “Speaking of that… would you two do me the honors of being my best mares? Applejack will ask Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie to do the same for her.” Rarity paused, glancing over as her fiancé held onto Rainbow Dash with her forehooves as she struggled to fly out of the water. “Well, I’m sure she’ll bring it up eventually.”

“Oh yes! Oh, I’d love to,” Fluttershy said excitedly, nearly jumping up out of the water.

“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” Twilight said teasingly. “But I’d be honored to, Rarity.”

“Great! Oh, I’ve already got the perfect dresses for you thought up. It’s going to be so magical!” After beaming with excitement, Rarity frowned, tapping a hoof on the water in thought. "Well actually... I imagined you officiating the wedding as well, but it just occurred to me you might not be able to do both."

Twilight felt herself heat up with embarrassment at the idea. “Well, I mean I technically could, but Princess Celestia might be a better choice. I’m not sure you want somepony officiating your wedding while crying the whole time.”

“Oh Twilight,” Rarity giggled as she moved over to give the unicorn a quick embrace. “You’re a good friend, you know?”

“I practically majored in friendship, so I’d certainly hope so,” Twilight said, grinning. “But this is a big step. No matter what, we’ll do our best to help you out.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement as Rarity sat back down.

“A big step… you got that right.” Rarity’s smile waned somewhat as she peered into the water blankly. “We have to be apart from each other so much because of business, but we still both want to start a life together. It’ll have to work somehow…” Glancing up, Rarity stared at the still frolicking Applejack with a strange look in her eye.

Twilight glanced over at Fluttershy, both of them frowning at the sudden change in mood. “Um, Rarity? Is everything okay?” Twilight asked.

“Hmm? Oh, no, it’s nothing dear…” Rarity said, her expression a stiff mask.

“Does this have something to do with the fight you two were having when I arrived?” Twilight asked.

“What, that? Oh, that was nothing to worry about. Just a simple little spat about the food we plan to have at the wedding. Nothing to worry about,” Rarity said, the strain in her voice becoming more evident.

“Rarity…” Twilight chided as she moved in closer.

Rarity’s lips began to tremble, and she glanced up at her fiancé, who was still occupied and well out of earshot. “I just…” With a loud sniffle, tears began to fall from her eyes, barely noticeable with all the surrounding steam and water.

“I just love her so much!” Rarity cried out, burying her head in Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I do! And I’m willing to give anything, my whole self, mind body and soul to her! But even though she’s the one who started this… and she’s the one who proposed…” Rarity sniffled again, wiping at her eyes with her hoof.

“She’s holding something back… I can feel it. There’s something in her heart she absolutely refuses to share, and refuses to even acknowledge it’s there. Whatever is eating her up… it’s gotten noticeable in other ways too.”

“There there…” Fluttershy cooed as she lightly rubbed Rarity’s shoulder with a hoof. “Have you tried talking to her about this? Surely with a pony as straightforward and dependable as Applejack you can just skip to the heart of the matter, can’t you?”

“But that’s just it!” Rarity wailed. “I’ve tried - She refuses to trust me enough even to admit there’s a problem, and always tries to turn it back on me somehow whenever I bring it up.”

Twilight frowned, considering her words carefully. This was going to take a delicate hoof, but she was unsure of her own ability to give the correct advice in matters of the heart.

“This secret...” Twilight paused, choosing her words carefully as she tried to gage Rarity’s reaction. “Whatever it is, are you sure that it has to do with you? Everypony is entitled to keep a few things to themselves.”

Sniffling one more time, Rarity took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “I’m sorry. Maybe you’re right, Twilight. I can get a little wrapped up in myself sometimes. Perhaps I’m worrying over nothing." Glancing back over at the pony that was the source of her woe, she wiped at her eyes some more. “But I don’t know. I feel like it’s important. I can just sense something is off sometimes, you know? There’s a pained glance, or a vacant look in her eyes. Maybe a hostile reaction to an innocuous question. It’s always so faint, but I _know_ it’s real.”

Rarity sighed, shaking her head. “Oh well. Relationships aren’t supposed to be easy, after all. I’m sure we'll be able to work this out eventually.” Turning to the others, she put on a smile again. “Thanks for listening, you two. I’ve been holding that in for awhile now and it feels good to get that off my chest."

“If you ever need to talk, we’re here for you Rarity. Don’t bottle it all up,” Twilight said, leaning back and allowing herself to relax. As she looked up at the sky from this angle, she found the snow making elaborate patterns as it fell on her shield and slid down. They really were quite pretty.

Eager to change the mood, Rarity struck up a conversation regarding some of the recent fashion lines she had been working on in Manehatten, and while Fluttershy seemed interested, Twilight quickly tuned them out. Two of her best friends were getting married. Everything was going to change.

Or was it? With a sinking feeling in her gut, Twilight realized that their group dynamic would barely be shaken up at all. After all, if everypony only gets together once a year, the difference becomes pretty negligible.

So nothing was going to change after all. Well, maybe a little. There was still the wedding to look forward too. And they’d still write each other letters, and Twilight was sure she’d be hearing from either Applejack or Rarity in the future when they hit low points in their relationship. Maybe they will even have babies in the future. So this was a good thing.

Or was it a bad thing? What if Rarity’s worries were serious? Serious enough that they end up breaking up? Would we have to pick and choose between friends? Would one of them refuse to come to the conferences because the other would be there? What if—

“Hey there silly-filly!” Pinkie Pie said, her face suddenly appearing inches from Twilight’s, looking down on her. “You know from this angle it looks like you’re smiling!”

Twilight jumped slightly at the sudden appearance of her friend, but quickly regained her composure. Staring up into that impossibly wide grin, Twilight couldn’t help but start smiling again herself.

“Oh no! Now it looks like you’re frowning! Oh wait, I’m upside down. So now you have to frown so you can smile? Hey, that’s not right!” With some impressive contortions, Pinkie managed to trip over herself, flipping into the pool and splashing all of them.

Twilight shared a glance with Fluttershy and Rarity before all three burst out laughing, Pinkie Pie flailing around in the water as she tried to right herself. Like nothing had even happened, her pink curly mane shot back up out of the water. “Hey, you girls ready for ghost stories?”

“Ghost stories?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware that was on the agenda.”

“Accordin’ to RD this here mansion’s supposed to be haunted,” Applejack said as she trotted up to join the others alongside Rainbow Dash.

“Hey, if you girls knew the history of this place, you’d never sleep a wink. So that’s why I’m going to tell you every detail!” Rainbow Dash said, grinning wickedly.

“Since when were you such a history buff?” Twilight asked, getting up out of the hot spring and shaking herself off.

“Well, I mean Fluttershy’s the one who found it all. I just read all the cool parts,” Rainbow Dash said as she offered a hoof to the yellow pegasus to help her out of the water.

Everypony’s attention turned to Fluttershy, who blushed and began fidgeting with her mane, squeezing water out of it. “Oh. Um, it’s nothing really. I just read some of the books here in the library. And well, I kind of heard about the legends before coming here. It’s not all scary though.. There’s a love story too...”

Rarity perked up at that while Fluttershy spaced out for a few seconds, a goofy smile on her face. Twilight found herself chuckling. She couldn’t deny she was still pretty curious about this mansion herself, if for no other reason than because she didn’t already know about it, which was a rare thing these days.

“’Y’all reckon we should take this party back inside then? These springs are nice and all, but there’s only so much soaking a pony can take,” Applejack said.

“I agree… any longer and I’ll start to get pruney,” Rarity said as she climbed out of the pool. Walking over to Applejack, she leaned in and fussed with her mane slightly, brushing some of the wet hair out of her fiancé’s eyes. “And it looked so nice done up too… oh well. I knew it wouldn’t last long.”

“Yeah, well. Y’know I always say you look real pretty when you let your mane get all wet like that,” Applejack said, grinning as she leaned over and gave Rarity a peck on the cheek.”

“Heeeeeee!” Pinkie Pie squealed, bursting out of the water to land next to the blushing Rarity. “You two are so adorable together! Ooh, I bet when we’re telling ghost stories later there’s gonna be a really scary moment, and Rarity’s going to be all ‘Eek!’ and Applejack’s going to hold onto her to comfort her, but then later on there’s going to be a REAALLY scary moment and then Applejack’s going to go “Eeek!” and then they’ll both have to hold each other!”|

The group’s laughter echoed throughout the garden as they made their way inside.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Legend of a Golden Wish

“Once upon a time, in ages long forgotten, there was a kingdom whose name nopony remembers…”

Rainbow Dash was standing on the table in the center of the room, delivering her narration with wild gesticulation. Her frame was cast with the flickering shadows from the roaring fireplace. After drying off, the six had retreated to the comfort of the parlor, where comfy pillows and refreshments awaited.

“The ruler of this kingdom was known as ‘Princess Wishlight’. She was a kind, but strict ruler, and had many enemies. For you see, the princess had a power nopony else did. She could grant wishes, give anypony what their heart desired most. As long as their wish was true, no boon was too great.

“But the power came with a terrible curse.”

Rainbow Dash punctuated her story by stomping her hooves, causing Fluttershy to gasp slightly and Pinkie Pie to squeal with anticipation. Applejack and Rarity simply smiled, sharing a look as they snuggled closer under a blanket.

Twilight frowned, her mind already racing with questions. Something about this whole thing felt off, but she just couldn’t put her hoof on it. Pulling out a quill and parchment, she started scribbling down notes, prompting Rainbow Dash to roll her eyes.

“Geez _Professor_ , I hope I get a good grade on my speech!” Rainbow Dash said in a mocking tone before she cleared her throat to continue. “Anyway, terrible curse. The princess had the ability to grant wishes, but the power did not come from the princess’ magic. Instead, one’s heart’s desire could only be granted by enacting an equal and opposite amount of suffering on somepony else. Usually just some poor random schmuck you’ve never met before. Other times, somepony close.

“In her youth, the princess abused her power with reckless abandon, ignorant to its backlash. She sought to make as many ponies happy as possible, and her kingdom flourished, even as tragedy continued to strike seemingly at random. But when she finally discovered the great cost her magic has wrought, she was heartbroken. She swore never to use her powers again.”

Twilight quickly scribbled down a new set of notes. _Rainbow Dash is using vocabulary way above her. She must have practiced this with somepony else’s guidance._ Could it be Fluttershy? There weren’t exactly a lot of options. With a sinking feeling in her gut, another thought occurred to her. _Maybe Rainbow Dash has simply become more well read, and I didn’t realize because we never see each other._

“But her powers were not so easily forgotten,” Rainbow Dash continued. “When the wishes dried up, other ponies demanded to know why, but she dared not say, for she could not admit to inadvertently causing as much suffering as she already had.

“Having long coveted her power with jealous greed, the other nations banded together, invading her kingdom and inciting a revolt in her populace in order to gain her power and grant wishes for themselves.” With a mock sigh, Rainbow added a quick aside. “I guess the magic of friendship wasn’t a big deal back then, y’know?”

Twilight focused on the story, still taking as many notes as she could. The details in this legend were incredibly vague. Was it left like that was on purpose because the details would be superfluous to the meat of the narrative, or because they were actually lost to time?

“Betrayed by her people, surrounded by enemies from all sides, the princess fought until the end. While her magic was still formidable in its own right, without using her ability to grant wishes she stood no chance. Wounded, she barely escaped her castle with her life. Running away and leaving everything she loved and cared about behind, she flew and flew until she couldn’t go any farther and dropped from the sky, ready to lie down and sleep forever.”

With a dramatic pause, Rainbow Dash added, “The spot where she fell was this very valley.”

Pinkie Pie shot up from her seat, interrupting and waving her arms around. “And she still haunts this mansion to this very day! Oooooooooh”

Rainbow Dash buried her face in a hoof before stepping down from the table. “No, Pinkie. The story isn’t over yet. Anyway, I’m going to let Fluttershy take over this next bit.”

After a few awkward moments where Rainbow Dash stood still, waiting for Fluttershy to take her place on the makeshift dais, Fluttershy squeaked, realizing everypony’s attention was on her and hesitantly spoke up. “Um, if it’s okay, I’d like to just tell the story from here…”

“Suit yourself,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug, moving to an empty cushion and getting comfortable.

“Okay. Um, let’s see. Well, uh, the princess didn’t know how long she was out for, but she eventually awoke in darkness. She was in pain, but still alive,” Fluttershy said, continuing the story.

Twilight had to strain her ears a bit to hear, especially compared to Dash’s enthusiastic narration. She started to scoot closer to hear a little better, but thought of a more practical idea and instead cast a quick spell to modify the acoustics in the room.

“The princess quickly realized she was not alone. The sound of heavy breathing reverberated around her along with gusts of hot air. Struggling to stand up, the princess tried to cast a simple illumination spell, but could only produce a few sparks before she felt a terrible backlash, a sharp pain in her horn that nearly caused her to pass out again.

“A deep voice rumbled from nearby, the very ground seeming to shake with its magnitude. ‘Your magic will not work here, Pony Princess. On a strange whim I, Xzorak the Mighty have saved your life. The forkroot I have treated you with is a very powerful regenerative, but has rather strong anti-magic properties that should wear off in a few days.’”

Twilight had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. Fluttershy’s ‘monster voice’ was simply too adorable. The contrast in storytelling styles between the two pegasi was certainly quite stark, but it was hard to say if either was really better than the other. Rainbow Dash had a good sense of action, adventure and dramatic timing, while Fluttershy reminded her of a mother reading bedtime stories to her foals.

“Groaning slightly, the princess turned to face her foe, trying to command as much presence as she could muster even as her knees buckled underneath her. ‘Do not toy with me, beast! If you have truly saved my life, then I am grateful, but I will be no prisoner of yours, and I shall grant you no wishes. Show me the exit and stand aside.’

“‘My my. Such fire, such passion. You are no prisoner of mine, pony. You are free to go whenever you please. However, you must find the exit on your own. And be careful –’ Xzorak let out a huge yawn, the blast of hot, rancid air nearly knocking the princess off of her feet. ‘You might just wander into my open mouth, and I’d hate to swallow you by accident. Never been a fan of pony.’

“The princess sat down on her haunches, already exhausted from standing, and considered her options. As her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she could barely make out the silhouette of her captor. She wasn’t sure, but her gut told her she was face to face with a dragon, and a large one at that. She could wish herself out of here easily enough, but that’s what had caused this whole mess in the first place. Never again.

“Cautiously extending her wings so she didn’t walk face first into a wall, the princess made her way towards what appeared to be a mound of something. When it turned out be a mound of hay, she collapsed on top of it, the itchy straw somehow beating out the most comfortable down she had always slept on. After a moment’s pause, she spoke up. ‘Dragon – if that’s what you are, anyway. Tell me why you have brought me here? Do you know of who I am?’

“‘Truly?’ replied the dragon. ‘I do not know. It’s not every day an alicorn lands on your doorstep. I suppose it was a strange fancy of mine that brought me to save you. Perhaps I will change my mind, and gobble you up in the morning.’”

Twilight glanced up from her note taking, looking around to see how her friends were taking in the story. Pinkie was still vibrating in her seat, barely able to contain her excitement. The new couple was still snuggled close together, Rarity resting peacefully on Applejack’s shoulder with her eyes closed. Far from enjoying herself though, Applejack seemed nervous, her ears laid back and her attention focused intently on Fluttershy’s story.

Applejack happened to catch Twilight staring at her and quickly looked away, then back and put on a fake smile. _Well, that was certainly convincing_ , thought Twilight as she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. It was clear she was going to have to talk to Applejack later, and find out just what had her so – with a mild start, Twilight realized she had lost track of what Fluttershy was saying.

“…and after 4 days of food and rest, the princess finally felt her magic returning. ‘Beware, Princess,’ the dragon warned. ‘For my visage is a fearsome one. You may not like what you see.’

“The princess laughed, feeling her magic flow through her body again as she focused it to her horn. ‘You sure make an awful lot of empty threats, Dragon. But I will not hide down here in the dark forever. It’s not like you’re the first dragon I’ve ever – Oh my.’

“The princess’ breath caught in her throat as her eyes adjusted to the newly conjured light. The topaz dragon before her was indeed massive, but broken. His eyes appeared to be nailed shut. His teeth were removed; and only scarred stumps marked where his wings should have been. His legs and tail were twisted and hobbled.

“’What could have possibly done this to you?’ asked the princess, her voice tinged with shock and pity. With a low, pained laugh, the dragon responded. ‘This is how dragons deal with their traitors.’

“Tenderly, the princess reached up and put her hoof on the dragon’s scarred snout, thinking about her power. ‘How much would you give to be whole again? To fly, walk, eat massive gemstones? To see the glorious light of this world?’ When he simply regarded her silently, she added ‘Would you accept such a gift if it meant somepony else would get hurt in your place? Probably a being you’ve never met before and likely never will.’

“‘No,’ the dragon said after a slight pause. ‘There has been enough suffering at my claws.’ And with that, the princess made up her mind and decided to stay after all.”

Twilight smiled, noticing that Fluttershy seemed really into her storytelling by now. She had gotten up from her cushion and was pacing around as she talked, now oblivious and uncaring about all the attention. The illusion would pop like a soap bubble if her current state was pointed out, so Twilight decided to keep those observations to herself.

“So the princess stayed with the dragon, partly because she had nowhere else to go, partly because in him she had found a friend and an intellectual equal. As the years went by, friendship turned to affection, and affection into love. It was a strange sort of romance, two exiles brought together in misery. And they lived happily… for a while.”

Fluttershy let out a sigh, her eyes drooping slightly as she looked down. Twilight supposed this must be the part where everything went wrong.

“Eventually, the odd couple turned their thoughts to the future, and towards children. They had built quite a nice life for themselves. The princess even arranged to have this very mansion built in secret, so she didn’t have to live in a dragon cave. Children would normally be impossible, but her power had no limits. Such selfishness however, even to create the miracle of life, was an abuse she could not allow.

“But her heart betrayed her mind, and made the wish for her. The princess was with child.”

Twilight scrunched her face slightly at the idea. She supposed with the portrait she saw in the manor hall the story was bound to go in this direction eventually. But was this really supposed to be a true story, as opposed to some silly legend?

With a low voice, Fluttershy continued. “It’s unsure exactly who the curse targeted with its backlash. The princess herself perhaps, when she died giving birth? The dragon, having known a brief happiness and had it snatched away? Or the young filly, who would never know her mother, and who had a father that could not give her the love and care she deserved?

“Devastated by his loss, and unable to properly raise his daughter given his crippled state, the dragon arranged for servants to come to this mansion to bring her up properly. But the measured hand of a servant is no substitute for a loving family. The young filly grew up isolated and alone, with no real friends. Her heart soon became cold, and later cruel. The servants began to resent their charge, and the negative feelings only multiplied from there.”

At this point, Rainbow Dash jumped back up on the table spreading her forehooves and wings as she cast a shadow over the gathered ponies, speaking ominously. “When she came of age and gained her cutie mark, her talent turned out to be very similar to her mother’s. And that’s when the servants began to disappear, one by one. Some began to recognize the pattern and tried to flee, but was too late. Soon, she alone remained in this mansion, as isolated and alone as her heart had always been.

“Months later, when a lone pegasus stopped by to deliver supplies, he found the mansion completely deserted. Everything was in exactly the same place as the last time he’d visited, except for one small detail. The lifelike portrait of the dragon mare in the entry hall!”

Rainbow Dash finished the story off with a maniacal laugh, and Twilight shuddered involuntarily at the thought of that creepy portrait. The story wasn’t even as remotely terrifying as it had been hyped up to be, (And had some plot holes besides) but it was entertaining regardless.

Of course, she was certainly glad that the painting was out in a hallway as compared to say, her room.

Fluttershy let out a long sigh and visibly deflated as she switched from storyteller mode back to her regular self. “Thanks for listening. I hope you girls liked it, and that it wasn’t too long or anything.”

Twilight smiled, and stomped her hooves appreciatively. “You two did a great job. It was very entertaining!”

Leaning in, Rainbow Dash suddenly spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. “Just so you girls are aware. I mean, a story’s a story and all, but I’ve seen some spooooky stuff the few days I’ve been staying here already. Windows open when they were bolted shut before. Strange shadows. A hoofstep echoing down the corridor, out of step with your own… Shy’s seen it all too, I’m not just messing with you.”

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOH,” interrupted Pinkie, actually on queue this time.

“Well um. I mean, I may have seen a few things, but I’m sure it’s just a coincidence really… the mind can play tricks on you if you let it, and I can be pretty careless when it comes to locking things properly and…” Fluttershy trailed off.

Rarity tensed up, wrapping her forehooves around Applejack’s neck. “Oh I am NOT walking back to my room alone tonight.”

“Mmmhmm. Sure thing, darlin’,” Applejack mumbled. For some reason she still seemed pretty nervous, and Twilight suspected it wasn’t the story that had her spooked. At least, not for the obvious reasons.

“Uh, hey, sugarcube. Y’all never said exactly what the name of that there dragon filly was. I mean, y’all were pretty vague on the names anyway but,” Applejack said as she fidgeted with her hat.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry Applejack. Her name is Golden Wish.”

“Er, right. Thanks Shy.”

Twilight could swear she heard Applejack swallow at that. Just what was going on with her?

“Man, I’m beat. I mean, this is great and all, but I was busy doing all that cloud stuff earlier, so I’m gonna hit the hay,” Rainbow Dash announced, yawning loudly for effect. “Although you girls should be careful. I mean it. Just keep an eye out, okay?”

“It is about that time I guess. I should really go check on the princesses, to see if they want a midnight snack or something,” Fluttershy said.

“Oooh, I have such a fun party planned tomorrow for your brother and sister when they get here Twilight! I mean I know it’s all official business and everything, but there’s no reason you have to be serious when being serious!” With a wide grin, Pinkie bounced out of the room, humming the first few notes of a song Twilight had yet to hear, but suspected she soon would.

“A lady does need her beauty sleep,” Rarity yawned as she glanced up at the large grandfather clock in the parlor. “Are you coming, dear?”

“Uh, yeah. Just gimme a sec, I wanna ask Twi something.” Applejack moved over and slung her forehoof around Twilight’s shoulder, whispering softly. “Listen. All that stuff about that wish grantin’ alicorn princess is just some crazy legend right? Nopony could really do anything like that.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, surprised by Applejack's interest in the subject. “Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve certainly never heard of such a legend until coming here, but I can’t rule out the possibility. Something about the story feels off to me though, and I was planning on checking out some of the books here in the library. Oh, would you care to join me?”

“Eh, no thanks. Rar’ is all spooked so I better be there, and I ain’t no good with books anyhow.” Applejack backed off, and moved over to Rarity’s side. “Alright hon’, let’s get back to our room.”

Twilight let out a small sigh as Rarity lit her horn up and the two left the room. It’s not like it was anything new, but nopony else ever seemed to appreciate the joy of research.

* * *

Twilight groaned, slamming her head into the desk before her. These books were worthless! Well, fascinating really. But nothing matched the story Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had just told her. She had found some vague historical footnotes about a princess rumored to grant wishes. Some accounts of dragon history detailing ancient methods of dealing with traitors. There was even a short story about a unicorn and a dragon falling in love. Nothing about a child though, and nothing that really matched

Her eyelids drooping, Twilight pulled another book off the shelf and began to read. Why was she so interested in this in the first place? As the night waned on, the darkness of sleep began to call.

* * *

Princess Luna stood at the study window, looking out into the blackness of the storm below. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and spoke. “Sister… It is time. But must things really be this way? She is no longer your student.”

“Everypony is my student, and I am theirs, dear Luna. We should always do our best to continue to learn and improve, day by day. And there are many lessons that even Twilight Sparkle has yet to learn.”

“But… must it be like this? These methods, this plan? I do not agree with this, Sister. It is… wrong.”

With a patient sigh, Celestia arose from her cushion, walking over to her sister and laying her head over Luna’s neck, nuzzling her affectionately. “Her path ahead will be fraught with obstacles the likes of which she has never faced before. But I believe in the end she will be able to reach out and find the 

truth. What she does with that knowledge afterwards is up to her and her alone. We cannot guide her anymore, but I have faith in Twilight.”

Luna bit her lip in frustration, but said nothing.

* * *

Twilight stood up, putting the book down in front of her. “Just need to get up and walk for a bit, and grab some more water while I’m at it.” With an acknowledging nod from Fluttershy, she made her way to the kitchen, stretching her legs out.

This certainly was… something. Being inside her own head like this… Fluttershy captured her voice well enough. Maybe sometimes the fictional Twilight would think of something in a way she herself might not have, but overall it meshed up well. She even found her own thoughts conforming to match those on the page, rather than wallowing in the dissonance.

She wondered about the state of Fluttershy’s mystery as it had been presented so far. Mystery novels were said to be like a game between the author and the reader. In many novels, there’s always a point right before the end, before they announce the culprit or whomever, where the detective might as well stop, turn to the audience and say “All the clues have been presented so far – can you solve it before turning to the next page and seeing what the answer is?”

At least, if it was a fair mystery it did so. Twilight had read her fair share of mysteries that obfuscated all the clues from the reader, or pulled a solution so far out of left field nopony could see it coming. Or ones that go too far in the other direction, where the clues are so blindingly obvious that when they turn out to be correct, it’s just a huge letdown. She wasn’t a huge mystery buff by any means, but she was proud of her ability to solve a good mystery just in time, right before the author pulls back the curtain.

So how would Fluttershy stack up?

Shaking her head to clear away that thought, Twilight started back. S _he’s a friend who wants you to critique her novel, not play the grand game._

Fluttershy perked up when Twilight re-entered the room, but her doubts still remained. And something about the direction of the novel was setting off vague feelings of dread in the back of Twilight's mind.

Just where was Fluttershy going with this?


	5. Chapter 4 - Golden Slaughterer

  
“Hey. Hey! Twi, are you in there!?”

“Nnnnnnnhgh…”

There was an incessant pounding coming from… somewhere. Was sleeping in a bit longer really that much to ask for?

“Twilight. Twilight, helloooo. Can’t sleep in forever.”

When Twilight slowly opened her eyes, her senses were immediately assaulted by a sharp pain in her neck. Groaning as she stood up, she realized she had fallen asleep in the library, and with a mild sense of horror, that she had drooled all over the book she was reading.

“NnnRainbow Dash? Izzat you?” Twilight asked in the middle of a long yawn. “You don’t have to keep knocking like that, just come in.”

There was a slight pause, and then a sigh of relief from behind the door before the handle began to jiggle fruitlessly. “It’s locked Twi, I can’t get in. Not without busting it down.”

Twilight frowned, still trying to parse her way through the cobwebs in her sleep addled mind. “Locked…? This is the library, why would I lock the door?”

When Rainbow Dash continued to jiggle the door handle to emphasize the point, Twilight rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and began walking over to the door on unsteady legs. When she got there, Twilight stopped, her eyes going wide. Not only was the door locked, but the chain lock and bolt were set too.

That shouldn’t be possible, right? Thinking back, she definitely didn’t remember locking anything herself. And she was pretty sure this was the only entrance to the library.

“Any day now, Twi.” Rainbow Dash said impatiently.

Filing that thought away for later, Twilight undid all the locks on the library door and swung it open to confront Rainbow Dash. Just what was so important that –

Twilight’s breath caught in her throat and her eyeballs threatened to burst out of her sockets as she saw what was adorning the outside of the door and on one of Rainbow Dash’s fronthooves.  
Was that… blood?

“Is that… yours?” asked Twilight, unsure of what else to say as she gestured towards the red marks streaked all across the library door. Her brain seemed to have short circuited for a second, and she couldn’t properly process the scene in front of her.

“Huh? No, of course not,” Rainbow Dash said, scratching her head. “Wait, are you saying you didn’t put this here?”

“That’s…” Twilight closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but this wasn’t the time to panic. Gingerly, she reached out and touched the door with one of her hooves. It was still wet, and –

Ah. This was red paint. _Of course._  
 __  
Rolling her eyes as hard as she could, Twilight leaned over, elbowing Rainbow Dash in the ribs. “Geez. That was a good one, RD. You _suuure_ got me! Now if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to –“

“Why would I scribble red paint all over the library door? That’d be a pretty lame prank if you ask me. Plus, Fluttershy would get all mad and make me clean it up,” Rainbow Dash said, waving a forehoof dismissively. “Speaking of Fluttershy, have you seen her around? It’s breakfast time and I’m starving, but I can’t seem to find her anywhere.”

“...Okay,” Twilight said after a few moments of contemplation. “If it’s not some kind of practical joke, then why is there…” Twilight took another look at the door, to see exactly what was drawn there. Three intersecting lines, a couple of smudges around the outside… “A crude drawing of my cutie mark on the library door in red paint?”

Rainbow Dash simply shrugged in response, and Twilight let out a sigh. “Last time I saw Fluttershy was last night after the story. I think she said something about checking up on the princesses?”

Rainbow Dash frowned, bringing a hoof up to her chin. “Hmm. Weird. She’s not in her room, already checked. Neither were you, I guess, and you were here, so whatever. I’ll go look around some more.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, giving Rainbow Dash an exasperated look. “You could just go make your own breakfast you know. Just because Fluttershy is acting like a servant here for whatever reason doesn’t mean you have to treat her like one.”

“Aww come on, Twi. It’s not like that. Her food’s just really good, you know?” Rainbow Dash said, grinning sheepishly. “Whatever. Maybe I can convince Applejack to whip something up.”

“Rainbow, you should really let those two… be.” Twilight let out a sigh as Rainbow Dash sped around the corner and out of sight before she could stop her.

After taking the time to stretch and fully wake herself now that Rainbow Dash wasn’t demanding her attention, Twilight realized she was actually pretty hungry herself. She made her way towards the kitchen, trying to work out the stiffness in her neck along the way. It hurt, but in some ways it was oddly nostalgic. She hadn’t fallen asleep doing research in a long time.

Twilight made it to the kitchen easily enough and didn’t have any problem gathering what she needed. She was by no means a star cook, but making a few sandwiches for herself and her friends wasn’t exactly a monumental undertaking either. It would pale in comparison to last night’s feast, but it was the thought that counted. Poor Fluttershy must just be exhausted from working so hard.

***

Five minutes later Twilight found herself coughing up a storm as Rarity levitated the burning remains of ‘breakfast’ into the sink, dousing them with water.

“How did this even happen?” Twilight wondered incredulously.

“Don’t worry about it, dear. I deal with it all the time whenever I forget to lock the kitchen up whenever Sweetie Bell’s around,” Rarity said, brushing some ash off her coat.

* * *

  
“Hey!” I’m not _that_ terrible of a cook!”

Fluttershy blushed, clearly trying to stop herself from giggling. “Sorry.”

* * *

  
“It’s fimh,” Applejack said, talking through a mouth full of apple before swallowing. “I mean, this’ll do for a morning snack and all. Storm’s still blowing, so not like any official business is going on today.”

Twilight let out a light sigh. “I was really looking forward to seeing Shining and Cadence. How long do you think it will last?”

“My best bet is tomorrow,” Rainbow Dash said as she entered the kitchen with a rush of wind. “But yeah, I still can’t find Fluttershy anywhere. Or Pinkie Pie, for that matter.”

“Just what do you mean by ‘anywhere’?” Rarity asked, frowning.

“I mean I’ve searched every single room in this mansion, including the attic and the basement. Everything except the princesses’ room. I knocked a bunch to see if they knew anything, but I didn’t get a response,” Rainbow Dash said as she paced back and forth.

“Couldn’t they just be hidin’ somewhere? Under a bed or in a closet or somethin’? Or maybe they’re just moving from room to room as yer looking around,” Applejack said.

“I guess,” Rainbow Dash said, shrugging. “But why would they?”

“You have a point,” Twilight said, trotting over to the kitchen window. “Do you think they’re outside then?” She could see from here that her shield was still intact, even as the storm raged on outside, drifts of snow piled up against the barrier.

“I could check again, I guess.” With a sigh, Rainbow Dash sped off. Twilight watched her fly past the window and around the mansion grounds.

“So uh, Twi,” Applejack said, moving in close to stand by the window. “You find anything about that legend in those books last night?”

“Huh? Oh right, that. No, I didn’t find anything substantial. Just vague bits and pieces here and there. I really have no idea where Fluttershy and Rainbow even got the story from.” Twilight paused, turning to raise an eyebrow at Applejack. “Just what about all this has you so bothered anyway?”

“Oh, well,” Applejack said, looking away. “Not much really. Kind of embarrassing if I think about it. Just uh, kind of reminded me about some old Apple family legends and was wondering if there was some connection.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but before she could dig deeper Rainbow Dash popped up outside the window, tapping on the glass.

“Uh, guys. You’re going to want to come see this.”

* * *

“This is…” Twilight said, trailing off.

“Just like at the library, yeah,” Rainbow Dash said.

The four were gathered around a shed located in the back corner of the garden. While normally just an unremarkable (if sturdy) shack meant for holding tools, it was currently decorated with swatches of red paint similar to what was on the door to the library. If one squinted, they somewhat resembled the shape of a balloon with a butterfly on the inside of it.

“Are you suggesting that those two are… in there? Hellooo? Fluttershy, Pinkie, it’s okay if you say something now, we’ll just pretend to be surprised!” Rarity said. She was twirling her mane in her hooves, looking agitated.

“Can you open it?” Twilight asked, her voice collected and calm.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “It’s locked, and I don’t know where the key is. Plus I think it’s chained from the inside as well. Just blast it open Twi. Better safe than sorry.”

“Who the hay puts a chain lock on a garden shed?” Applejack asked as Twilight lowered her horn.

Twilight focused her magic, bringing it to bear against the comparatively flimsy shed door. Rather than blowing it to smithereens, she used the force to snap the hinges loose, catching the door with her telekinesis and laying it down gently.

What lay inside the shed burned a stark image into Twilight that would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life. The world she knew and loved was gone forever.

* * *

Twilight’s eyes were locked to the pink form on the floor of the shed, lying in a pool of what she desperately hoped was red paint.

“P-Pinkie Pie…?” she heard her own voice say, soft and weak.

Moving over to Pinkie’s side, she rolled her over cautiously. Her eyes were closed with a soft smile on her face, like she was sleeping.

Her flesh was cold beneath Twilight’s hooves.

“H-hey… come on, this is a joke right? Something like this couldn’t actually happen, right? I mean, you’ve had some pretty poor tastes in jokes before, Pinkie, but this really takes the cake. Hah! Get it? Takes the cake…” Twilight’s voice cracked as her whole body began to shake.

“C-come on, Pinkie.”

Pinkie’s form remained still and limp, a cold reminder of the harsh reality she had suddenly found herself in.

This couldn’t actually be real, right? It was just some horrible nightmare. A vision brought on by all the scary stories. A prank by Discord, or just a changeling impersonating Pinkie, or…

“Oh sweet Celestia, that can’t be…”

Twilight heard a soft voice behind her, seemingly miles away. Trying to blink through the tears, she looked up, and her heart froze again.

 _No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no!_  
 __  
In the back of the shed there was what could only be described as a ‘mess’, some sort of macabre work of art that few would believe could have originally been a pony.

But the red stained yellow feathers and tufts of fur scattered around told a far worse story.

“Flu-“

Twilight’s words caught in her throat, unable to even face the truth that was in front of her. She closed her eyes, placed her hooves over her ears and screamed as loud as she could, trying to make everything go away.

* * *

“What in Tartarus is this!?” Twilight yelled, throwing the book to the floor and whirling around to face Fluttershy.

Fluttershy shrieked at Twilight’s outburst, her ears lying back and shrinking beneath the presence of the suddenly livid mare. “It’s, uh, I told you already, it’s a m-murder mystery, Twilight…”

Shaken by what she had just read, Twilight tried to blink back her tears and fumbled with her words. “Mystery! You said it was a mystery! There was nothing about me having to read, in graphic detail, about the horrible deaths my friends suffered!”

Fluttershy tried to become even smaller as Twilight snorted and stomped her hooves, bearing down on the shivering pegasus.

“Why would even you _write_ something like that? Why would you ask me to _READ_ something like that!? It’s just…”

Twilight took a step back, shuddering. She was already so immersed in the story, to even consider something like that happening… she suddenly had the strong desire to track down Pinkie Pie and give her long hug.

“I… I was just trying to…” Fluttershy burst into tears, her sobs wrenching another wound into Twilight’s recently battered heart.

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her frayed nerves. It didn’t work very well – she could still feel her hooves shaking and her teeth grinding themselves to points as her heart wrestled with all sorts of conflicting emotions.

“Fluttershy…” Twilight said with gritted teeth, her eyes still closed as she tried to shake her head clear.

“I-I’m sorry, T-Twilight!” Fluttershy said, choking out the words in-between wracking sobs. “P-please don’t hate me…”

Twilight took another deep breath, counting to ten this time. She could deal with this. She was the ‘Princess of Friendship’ after all. And this was all just fictional anyway, right? She shouldn’t let a book shake her up so much. She’d read on through the deaths of her favorite characters before, and it’s not like any of her friends were really hurt, right?

In her mind’s eye she could still picture Pinkie Pie lying there, cold and limp but still smiling.

“Fluttershy…” Twilight started up again, putting on a forced smile. “I don’t hate you. But surely you understand that reading about… _that_ is something that is significantly emotionally distressing?”

Fluttershy nodded weakly before mumbling, “It’s important…”

“Good! In that case, I’m sure you understand that it’d probably best if we don’t continue this from here on out. I’ve just got too much bias to look at something like this objectively. But no worries! I’ve got a number of friends in the Equestrian Writers Society that would be more than happy to do some pre-reading and editing for you, and without all those pesky –”

“No!” Fluttershy ‘shouted’, her voice rising ever so slightly. Her eyes were wide with fear and her lip was quivering, but she locked eyes with Twilight, her expression pleading. “Please… Um, I mean, I’d really really really appreciate it if you could, um, see it through to the end. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

Twilight stared at Fluttershy, a blank look on her face. Was she seriously still asking this?

Fluttershy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, looking away. “I… this is very important to me Twilight. And it can’t be anypony else. It has to be you.”

Twilight continued staring for a few moments before sighing and covering her face with a hoof. “No. Well, maybe. I mean, I don’t know!”

Grimacing, Twilight turned towards the door. “Look, I need some fresh air. I’ll take a walk and think about this. Sorry, Fluttershy, but this is asking a lot… maybe too much. Just help yourself to whatever you want while I’m gone.”

Not wanting to see Fluttershy’s reaction, Twilight teleported away, leaving her all alone in the library.

* * *

The door to Sugarcube Corner opened with a merry jingling, and Twilight heard Pinkie call out from the back of the shop.

“I’ll be out in a second!”

Twilight took a moment to take in the familiar smells and warmth of the bakery. Coming here was a good idea.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, what can I get you – Woaah!” Pinkie jumped up into the air as soon as she saw Twilight, her hair standing on end. “We’ve got a baked goods emergency here! I’m going to need 50 CCs of frosting, stat!”

“Uh, hey Pinkie. What are – Mmff!” Twilight’s greeting was interrupted when Pinkie Pie rushed over and shoved a cupcake into her mouth.

“Tmfs rmmry imhmt nemessmmry,” Twilight tried to say, but was unable to overcome the frosted goodness. Despite her objections, the confectionary was absolutely delicious, and she found herself savoring every moment.

After finally managing to swallow, Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie, who had on her widest grin. Unable to resist smiling herself, she reached over and embraced her friend in a tight hug. “Thank you, Pinkie. I needed that.”

“No problem Twilight, that’s what I’m here for! You look like you’ve seen something scary. Like a nightmare! Everypony gets them occasionally, even me! I’m pretty good at dealing with them though, and it’s pretty easy. Lemme show you!”

Pinkie Pie began bouncing around Twilight excitedly, and Twilight could feel that she was about to burst into song. Laughing, she pulled Pinkie Pie back to the floor. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, Pinkie.”

“Hmm…” Pinkie Pie pondered for a short time, then smacked her hooves together as a light flashed in her eyes. Disappearing for a second, she came back with a couch, pushed Twilight onto it, and sat next to her in a comfy armchair of her own while wearing a pair of glasses and blowing bubbles out of a pipe.

“Tell ze Doctor Pinkie about your problems,” Pinkie Pie said in some sort of faux accent.

After recovering from her own laughter and wiping the tears from eyes, Twilight laid back, allowing herself to relax somewhat.

“Well… can you keep all of this a secret? Not necessarily for my sake, but for Fluttershy’s?” Twilight asked, resting her forehooves behind her head and looking up at the ceiling.

“Absolutely,” Pinkie Pie said, already going through her usual promise motions. “I take doctor-patient confidentiality very seriously!”

“Well, Fluttershy came to me with this book…”

* * *

“… And then I just kind of blew up at her. Even then, she still wants me to keep reading, so I figured I’d cool off a bit and then came here.”

Pinkie Pie gave a curt “Mmmhmm” and scribbled on her notepad, the same response she’d given to everything for the past half hour.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Pinkie Pie looked up and said, “Well, continue.”

“Seriously?” Twilight asked, rolling her eyes. “And then you fed me a cupcake and then we hugged and I felt better and then we decided to do this pretend therapy thing and now it’s right now.”

“I see…” Pinkie Pie said, tapping the rim of her notebook with her pencil thoughtfully.

“Are you even actually writing anything down?” Twilight asked.

Smiling so hard her glasses flew off of her face, Pinkie Pie flipped the notebook over to show Twilight. “Look, I drew a picture of me skiing down a mountain made entirely of cake!”

Twilight let out a sigh, covering her face with a hoof. “Were you even listening to anything I said?”

“Of course I was, silly!” Pinkie Pie said, looking somewhat offended.

After a few more moments of silence, Twilight gave an exasperated, “Well?”

“Well what? A story's just a story, Twilight! Did you stop and think that maybe Fluttershy isn't doing this for the shock value or to make you angry? She doesn't seem like the type to not have a reason."

Twilight frowned, unable to form a concrete objection. “Yeah, but…”

“And just think! You’re the book expert, Twi, you should’ve seen this already! When a story really puts a heroine through the wringer, when she loses a lot and has to try her very hardest to succeed, what happens at the end?”

Twilight’s eyes widened, the light at the end of the tunnel shining in her face. How could she have missed something so obvious? “A happy ending. Of course!”

Beaming, Pinkie Pie nodded enthusiastically. “Maybe it’s dark now, but I’m sure it won’t stay that way forever. You just gotta believe in Fluttershy and do your best!”

“Thanks, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said, pulling Pinkie into another hug. Stepping away, she smiled and turned towards the door. “I should probably be getting back. Fluttershy must be an absolute wreck by now. I hope she’s still there.”

“Give her some of these; it’ll make her feel better!” Pinkie Pie quickly shoved a box of baked goods into Twilight’s hooves. “Oh, and I know she seems adamant about only you reading the book, but if you can get her to change her mind that would be awesome; I wanna know how it ends! Ooh, and then she could write one starring me next. That would be fun!”

Twilight levitated the pastries behind her as she left Sugarcube Corner, stopping to wave one last time before the doors closed. Pinkie Pie continued waving until Twilight was completely out of sight, then turned to get back to her neglected work, smiling.

She stopped halfway there, a frown crossing her face as a thought occurred to her. “Unless Fluttershy’s story is actually a tragedy. Yeesh. That would be rough!”

* * *

Twilight opened the door to the library to find Fluttershy hovering in place with a feather duster in her mouth, dusting off some of the higher bookshelves. The room in general seemed a little bit cleaner than she had left it.

“Oh. Um, hey Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she landed and placed the duster on a nearby table. “I just figured I’d help clean up a bit while I was waiting for you to get back.”

Fluttershy looked up at Twilight with an expectant, hopeful expression, her eyes still somewhat puffy from crying earlier.

Smiling, Twilight handed her the box of pastries. “Here, have some of these. Pinkie made them special.” Taking a bite of a cupcake herself and swallowing, Twilight continued, “And I’m sorry for yelling at you like that, Fluttershy. I let my anger get the better of me. I’ll keep reading.”

“Yaay!” Fluttershy threw her forehooves around Twilight, her wings carrying her up and down excitedly. “Oh thank you, Twilight! I was so worried you were going to say no.”

Twilight gently extracted herself from the pegasus’ grip, helping Fluttershy back to the ground. “I can’t promise I’ll… _enjoy_ reading about stuff like that happening to my friends, but I should be able to handle it.”

Fluttershy nodded, sinking backwards slightly. “I understand, Twilight. And, um, I’m sorry I didn’t properly warn you about what was coming.”

Frowning, Twilight turned to the book resting on the table, her throat tightening slightly at the thought. “Is there… more stuff like this? Later on?”

Fluttershy’s face fell, and she was silent for a long while before finally answering, “Yes,” in a tiny voice.

Twilight closed her eyes, sighing. She could handle this. _Happy ending._ “Well, Fluttershy, I’m trusting you. You said this was important after all.”

Fluttershy nodded emphatically and Twilight made her way to get comfortable again.

“Did you, um, talk to Pinkie about this?” Fluttershy asked once the two had settled down.

“I did,” Twilight said, nodding. “Don’t worry though; I made her promise to keep it a secret.”

Picking up the book again, Twilight took a deep breath, turning to the page she had left it at.  
Those horrible words were still there, staring her right in the face. She almost thought about skipping ahead, but a scene like this in a mystery was probably one of the most important, and contained all sorts of valuable clues.

She could handle this.


	6. Chapter 5 - Challenge

  
Twilight wasn’t quite sure how long she stayed there, curled up into a ball. Her perception of time was dimmed, and she shuddered while trying to deny this horror as hard as she could. She wanted nothing more than to wake up from this nightmare.

A strong grip wrapped around her midsection and Twilight felt herself being lifted up into the air. With a start, she opened her eyes to find Rainbow Dash carrying her. She yelped and began to flail in her grasp, however, when her gaze fell upon the red mess in the shed once more.

A stray hoof caught Rainbow Dash in the jaw and she dropped Twilight with a grunt. Slightly dazed and sprawled on the ground, the sounds of the world came rushing back to Twilight. Rarity was wailing fiercely from somewhere behind her.

Twilight’s eyes were still locked to the horror inside until her view was suddenly blocked by a cyan flank. Rainbow Dash’s wavering voice spoke from above her. “Just… don’t look, Twi. I’m sorry….”

For some reason, Twilight found herself craning her neck to try and look at the scene she desperately did not want to see, and Rainbow kept shifting her body to block her vision. _I have to get to her…_

Twilight’s mind suddenly exploded with thoughts, unbidden and dark. _I can save them somehow. I can time travel, stop this whole thing from happening in the first place. Or just put them back together. There are ancient rites, rumored forbidden magics that can bring back a pony from death. Maybe I can track down that sun-blighted, so called ‘dragon mare’ and force her to wish them back to life. I don’t care who gets harmed in the process._

Twilight found herself laughing, tears running down her face as she pounded her hoof into Rainbow Dash weakly. _Useless. It’s all useless._

“Rar, I… I just…” Applejack was doing her best to comfort her sobbing fiancé, but it was clear she was barely keeping it together herself.

Twilight took a deep breath and tried to stand up, her legs wobbling unsteadily beneath her. She had to pull herself together. She was supposed to be the leader, the one who her friends could count on in a crisis. _The friends I still have left, anyway._

She was supposed to do… something. But what? Her mind was sluggish, and couldn’t focus on any one particular idea enough to fully articulate it. She should… check for evidence. Yes, that’s a thing that ponies do in situations like this.

Rainbow tried to block her again as she trotted back towards the shed, but Twilight brushed her aside, calmly approaching the bodies once more. Even as the back of her mind screamed at her to just turn and run away while the contents her gut fought to escape from her stomach, she felt herself move forward dispassionately.

Kneeling down at Pinkie’s side, she examined the corpse again, this time with scientific rigor. _No pulse… obviously. Judging by the temperature and state of the corpse, estimated time of death is between six and eight hours ago. She appears to have been killed via a cutting implement to the jugular, and died of blood loss. There are no signs of a struggle, and the expression on her face suggests she may have been sleeping peacefully. The amount of blood in the shed suggests she was killed here. Perhaps she was drugged before being brought here, but I can’t tell with the tools I have available._

Standing back up, Twilight wiped the sweat off of her brow. One down, one to go. She started towards the back of the shed, but stopped, unable to force herself to look at anything but the ground. Suddenly she found herself unusually interested in almost anything else, like the patterns on the tile floor or the broken pieces of chain lock from when she had broken the door open.

Taking a deep breath and swallowing nervously, she forced herself to look into the back of the shed again. _Fluttershy…_

She had to examine her properly. There was bound to be some crucial evidence or something like that, right? Nevermind that there wasn’t anything that could even truly be considered a recognizable body part. Nevermind that something had done this to the kindest, sweetest, most innocent pony she had ever known.

A memory of words last spoken slipped into her mind.

_Goodnight Twilight. Sleep well._

Twilight turned around and walked away, firing up her horn and dropping a small, opaque shield to cover up the shed.

“Huh? Twi, what’re you…” Applejack trailed off.

“We should… go inside. Standing out here any longer won’t do us any good,” Twilight said as tears ran down her face.

“B-but… you… we can’t just leave them there,” Rarity said, looking at Twilight horrified. “We have to… do something with…”

Rarity let out a choking sob, and Applejack held on to her tighter. Twilight shook her head, closing her eyes. “This is a crime scene. We have to preserve it so that when professionals get here everything will be intact.”

“What professionals?” Rainbow Dash asked. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s just us here, and nopony is getting through that storm any time soon.”

“Aren’t… aren’t you a professional, Twi? Surely you can figure somethin’ out, or use your magic to…” Applejack trailed off, looking away.

Twilight bit her lip and shook her head as a tear ran down her cheek. “I’m sorry.”

The silence following her apology spoke enough for everyone, and the four headed back inside.

* * *

Twilight paced around and around the table in the lounge, wearing grooves into the hardwood floor. Rarity and Applejack were huddled together on a nearby duvet, Rarity still sobbing softly, while Rainbow Dash stared blankly out the window.

The grief and emptiness in Twilight’s heart was slowly starting to harden into a simmering anger. Two of her best friends were dead, on what was supposed to be a happy reunion for all of them. But they weren’t just dead. They were murdered. Somepony deliberately killed them in a brutally horrific fashion.

Such a vile act was the antithesis to everything she, her friends, and Equestria as a whole stood for, and yet there existed some monster out there capable of committing such violence.

Twilight stopped in her tracks and looked around as the gears in her head slowly began to turn once more. There wasn’t some monster ‘ _out there_ ’…

“Still here,” Twilight mumbled, breaking the spell of silence in the room.

“Uh, what was that sugarcube?” Applejack asked, her voice still raw.

“Whatever… _monster_ did this… killed them,” Twilight said, choking on the words slightly as her voice wavered. “They’re still here.”

Rarity’s eyes darted around the room, glancing at the various entrances and windows fearfully. “Are… are you sure, Twilight?”

Nodding, Twilight began pacing around the center of the table again. “My shield. I put that up last night, and it’s still going. Nopony can get in or out. Not without breaking it anyway.”

“So what yer saying is that they…” Applejack looked around the room herself, swallowing as her eyes widened.

“That whoever did this was hiding somewhere here in the mansion. At the absolute latest right before I put up the shield, but probably for longer than that,” Twilight said, increasing her pace as she began to pick up steam.

“Could a unicorn not simply teleport in and out?” Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. “The shield blocks teleportation as well. I mean, a strong enough unicorn could do it, but it would still break the shield.”

* * *

  
“Uh, just a note, Fluttershy. Shield spells don’t actually work like that. Unicorns can teleport in and out without difficulty, and they don’t necessarily shatter completely when penetrated,” Twilight said, breaking away from the novel as she slipped into lecture mode.

“Oh. Um, well. I tried to do as much research as I could on magic, but I really don’t know a lot. It’s um, though... For the sake of the story, is it okay if we just assume that this particular spell works like this?” Fluttershy asked, blushing sheepishly.

Twilight bit her lip and frowned. Even on top of everything else, inaccuracies like this would bug her continuously, like an itch that couldn’t be scratched. Still, she could kind of already see the scenario Fluttershy was trying to create with this restriction. Even if it was rather arbitrary.

“I guess that’s fine… as long as it stays internally consistent, anyway,” Twilight said, letting out a small sigh.

* * *

“So while there should have only been eight ponies in this mansion yesterday, there were really nine,” Twilight said. “Me, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Celestia, Luna, and…” Twilight let out a breath, closing her eyes. “Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Followed by Culprit X.”

“Did any of you see anything last night that might indicate something like that? Anything at all?” Twilight asked, looking to each of her friends individually as they glanced at each other apprehensively.

“Uh, sorry, Twilight. Can’t say I noticed anypony skulking about, or anything off sorts,” Applejack said as she hung her head.

“I mean…” Rarity said, trailing off for a moment before snapping back to attention. “There is that creepy legend. And that grisly epigraph… there’s no way they aren’t related.”

“Yes, I’ve considered that already,” Twilight said, waving a hoof dismissively. “Maybe the culprit is a crazy wish granting alicorn-dragon ghost from an old legend. Or maybe the culprit just wants us to think that. I don’t really care what they are. I’m going to find out who did this, and make them pay,” Twilight growled, a somewhat manic glint in her eye.

“Hang on now, sugarcube. I wanna find who’s responsible for this just as much as you do, but don’t go flyin’ off the handle just yet,” Applejack said as she looked up to meet Twilight’s eyes.

Twilight hung her head, shuddering as another wave of revulsion at what had happened passed through her. “I’m sorry, Applejack. But I have to do something, or I really will lose it.”

Applejack nodded solemnly and Twilight resumed her pacing. “So the question comes down to who did it, how they did it, and why,” Twilight said.

“Why does any of that even matter?” Rarity asked sharply as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. “You already established that the culprit is trapped in here with us. We just need to search the mansion, find them, and deal with them.”

“It might not be that simple,” Twilight said. “Whoever this pony is, they’re dangerous. So we can’t split up and search alone. But even if we move as a group, carefully searching each room from top to bottom, the culprit might be able to stay one step ahead of us the entire time. Or they could be hiding in some secret room we wouldn’t be able to find on our own.”

“So are we just supposed to, what, wait here in this room until help arrives?” Rarity asked, her tone acidic.

“Careful now Rar. You’re hurtin’. We all are, but we can’t afford to be getting snippy with each other in a time like this.”

Rarity bit her lip and lowered her eyes for a few moments before leaning back into Applejack. “I love you, you know that right?”

Applejack closed her eyes and nuzzled her fiancé before turning her attention back to Twilight.

“To defeat thy enemy thou must know thy enemy,” Twilight said, her obscure quote eliciting only blank faces.

After a long pause Twilight planted her face in her hoof, sighing. “It’s a quote from the legendary tactician… you know what, nevermind. Have any of you ever played chess?”

After a few more moments of awkward silence Rarity offered up a weak “I… know the rules?”

Twilight let out a long groan. “Well, it’s like this. Lots of strategy, positioning, moves to memorize, yada yada. But one of the most important goals in chess is to put yourself in your opponent’s position, to think like them, and see things from their angle so you can predict their moves and ultimately win. Of course, a good opponent will be doing the same with you.”

“So what do we know about the culprit then?” Applejack asked.

Twilight raised a hoof to launch into a longer explanation but froze. What _did_ she know? 

Everything about this was strange, and there was so much all going on at once. She needed to pick something to focus on as a starting point.

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, Twilight glanced around, suddenly remembering when she had woken up this morning. _Why the marks on their doors? I was found in a locked room with my cutie mark painted on the door, alive and well. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were in the shed, marked by their cutie marks and… dead. But why call attention to that? If you want to murder somepony and get away with it, isn’t it better to hide the body and hope it’s not found? Without those marks, we probably never would’ve thought to look in the shed._

“Uh, hey, Twi?” Rainbow Dash interrupted, speaking up for the first time since they’d all come inside. “I think we might be forgetting to do something here.”

“Rainbow, I’m trying to think here, give me a minute,” Twilight said, frowning in concentration.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You said it yourself earlier. Eight ponies here that we know of…”

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash blankly for an uncomfortably long moment, as the large clock in the room continued its ticking.

“Oh!” Twilight cried out, immediately crouching and firing up her horn. “Princess Celestia!”

With a pop, Twilight disappeared from the parlor and into a hallway on the second floor, crashing into a table with a potted plant on it. She didn’t know this mansion well enough for precision.

Groaning and extracting herself from the mess, she quickly galloped to the end of the hallway, where a large ornate door emblazoned with a sun and moon waited.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! It’s me, Twilight! This is an emergency!” Twilight banged on the door repeatedly, trying the handle and finding it locked.

She continued knocking, but after a minute with no answer whatsoever, the icy grip of fear began to take ahold of her heart once more.

“Come on, Princess Celestia, please answer. We need you!”

Backing away from the door with a grimace, Twilight lowered her horn, prepared to use brute force. “I’m sorry, Princess, but I’m coming in!”

With a hum and a zap, Twilight fired a bolt of energy at the door, only to yelp and dive for cover when the bolt reflected, bouncing around the hallway before vaporizing an ornate vase.

“Okay…” Twilight groaned, standing back up. “Maybe this then.”

Teleporting to into an area you’ve never seen before was risky, but if it was just on the other side of the door it should be okay. Focusing her magic yet again, Twilight made the precise calculations and disappeared with a pop.

A strange vibration ran through her body and Twilight found herself thrown backwards, tumbling away from the door and bouncing down the hallway.

“Ow. I guess they have the whole thing shielded,” Twilight muttered with a pained groan.

She unsteadily stood back up, wincing slightly as she did so. Nothing seemed to be broken, but she had certainly bruised something in the fall.

Before she could try something even more dangerous, she heard the sound of galloping hooves echoing down the hallway. She wheeled in a alarm for a moment, but relaxed as Rainbow Dash came skidding around the corner.

“Applejack, she’s over here!” Rainbow Dash called out as she sped over towards Twilight.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called out excitedly. “Good, you’re here. Look, the princesses aren’t answering, and I can’t break down the door. It’s too strongly warded.”

Applejack and Rarity came galloping over a few seconds later, both of them panting slightly.

Taking a deep breath, Rarity smiled sweetly at Twilight. “Twilight, darling. I know you’re under a lot of pressure here, but in the future, if you’re going to be teleporting off on your own –“

“And don’t, because that’s a darn stupid thing to be doing at a time like this,” Applejack growled, cutting Rarity off.

“Please at least _warn_ us before doing so. You nearly gave me a heart attack vanishing like that!” Rarity finished, looking disapprovingly at Twilight.

Twilight grimaced. Was this really the time for this? “Look, I’m sorry, maybe I got a little ahead of myself there, but every second might count. The princesses aren’t answering the door. Rainbow, Applejack, do you think you could buck the door down together?”

Applejack approached the door, looking it up and down. “I dunno. Looks pretty dang sturdy to me. Especially if it’s reinforced by magic as well.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Or we could just –“

“True, I can’t break it down with my magic either. In that case, Rainbow Dash, come with me. We can fly outside and try to break through the windows. They might be less enchanted than the door,” Twilight said, already moving to open one of the hallway windows.

Rainbow Dash planted her face in a hoof and growled under her breath. “I’m trying to tell you that –“

“If that doesn’t work, maybe we could try to blast through from the room below? You’d be surprised at where you can find structural weak points sometimes,” Rarity suggested helpfully.

“I have the keys right here!” Rainbow Dash shouted, her face red as she pulled out a ring with several iron keys attached to it.

“Oh. Sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly. She levitated the keyring from Rainbow’s grasp and started trying to unlock the door. “Which one of these is it? And where exactly did you get these anyway?”

“Should be one of them,” Rainbow Dash said, shrugging. “And there’s a servant’s room near the kitchen which has the keys to everything.”

After a trying a few of the keys, Twilight finally found one that clicked, and she pushed the heavy door open with more than a little effort.

“Princess Celestia? Princess Luna?” Twilight called out as she entered the large study, her voice fearful. Despite the nervous atmosphere, the study itself was warm and inviting. Flickering shadows danced across the walls as the roaring fireplace left everything nice and toasty. 

Rather than a single room, it was more like a small apartment, with adjoining doors leading to private bathrooms, a bedroom and a dining area.

The four ponies entered the study cautiously, looking around. The doors to the adjoining rooms were open, and none of them saw any sign of the princesses.

“They’re not here…” Twilight said, her heart sinking to her hooves.

“They must have been recently,” Rarity said, inspecting the couches around the fireplace. “This place looks lived in.”

“Princess? If y’all are hidin’ in here, we’d really appreciate it if the jokes stopped. Ponies’re dead, and we need your help,” Applejack said, peeking underneath the bed in the nearby room.

“But why wouldn’t they be here?” Twilight asked, her voice weak. “Where would they even go? At a time like this… not them. They have to be okay…”

There was suddenly a loud bang and a clicking sound as the door to the study slammed shut behind Rainbow Dash, who had moved inside instead of holding it open. “Huh,” Rainbow said, looking back. “Guess the door auto locks.”

“Let me know if you girls find anything, okay? Maybe a note or some evidence as to where they might have gone?” Twilight asked as she began rifling through a nearby bookshelf.

“Well, there is ‘something’ here,” Rarity called out from the dining hall.

Twilight pushed ahead of the others to go see exactly what Rarity was talking about. 

“There’s really no accounting for taste, is there?” Rarity said as she scrunched her face up.

Adorning the far wall of the lounge was the same portrait that was in the entry hall, of the purple maned alicorn with draconic features. The portrait of the dragon-mare (draconequus? It might be a more technical term, but she certainly didn’t remind her of Discord) was identical in every respect, including the inclusion of the plaque with the grisly epigraph at the bottom.

Twilight frowned, looking the painting up and down. “I can see it being in the entrance hall, but why here of all places?”

When nopony answered her rhetorical question, Twilight turned to address Rainbow Dash, who was hanging back in the study area. “Rainbow, you have to know more about this, don’t you? ‘Golden Wish’ or whatever her name is. You and…” Twilight hesitated, still unable to think of her friend without a fresh pang of agony. “Fluttershy were the ones who told that story after all.”

Rainbow Dash froze in the face of the sudden attention, casting her eyes downward and pawing at the ground. “I really don’t know all that much. Sorry, Twi. It was mostly all Shy’s thing, y’know? Maybe take a closer look at that riddle?”

Twilight blinked in confusion. “But Rainbow, you were all over that story last night. Surely you know something that might be helpful?”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and looked away. “Look I… don’t really want to think about that right now. I’m sorry.”

Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash moved over to sit on some of the cushions by the fireplace. _I guess Rainbow is taking this harder than I thought… she definitely seems out of it._  
 __  
Shaking her head, Twilight approached the portrait, examining the epigraph beneath.

“From a wish sprouts a seed of power

To grant your heart's deepest desire

Bless this seed with your greatest love

But this love must be born in blood

In death lies truth – the heart laid bare

No sacrifice too great

Abandon self

Rend asunder, and begin anew.”

“Do you really think it’s related to all this?” Rarity asked, peering over Twilight’s shoulder. “Is it some kind of high level magic?”

“Love born in blood… no sacrifice too great… rend asunder…” Twilight muttered, thinking out loud. “It sounds like it could be a ritual, or well, a sacrifice. Perhaps it alludes to sacrificing something or someone in order to gain what you want?”

“Like the legend then, where there weren’t no wishes unless you were willin’ t’hurt somepony else in the process,” Applejack said.

“So you’re saying some sick pony planned to kill our friends and probably us, just for what? To get a wish?” Rarity asked, practically spitting her words out, her hooves shaking.

Twilight sighed, lowering her head. “It’s possible, but all we have is vague speculation at this point. It’s so hard to see how this is all supposed to fit together. And just where are the princesses?”

“I… I just,” Rarity said, still shaking.

Applejack moved over and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Come on, hon, let’s go sit down for a bit.” 

Rarity nodded, sniffling slightly, and moved with Applejack back to the main room, Twilight following after them.

As Twilight walked over towards where Rainbow Dash was lying down, a glint of gold caught her attention from the corner of her eye. When she turned to see what it was, she was surprised to see a letter with gold trim lying on the center of an end table.

“Was… this here before?” Twilight asked, confusion in her voice.

“Was what here before?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking up.

“This letter. Hey, did any of you see this letter sitting here when we came in earlier?” Twilight was sure the table had been empty.

“Can’t say I saw anything like that, and a letter that fancy certainly stands out,” Applejack said as she came through the doorway.

Rarity shook her head. “What does it say?”

Twilight carefully opened the letter and pulled out a sheath of nice stationary covered in neat, nearly perfect calligraphy. Swallowing nervously, she began to read.

“Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,

Welcome to my mansion. How are you enjoying your stay so far? Have the accommodations been to your liking?

By now it has likely come to pass that some of your friends are dead. Terribly unfortunate, that. You have my condolences.

I can empathize, really. I have problems of my own. You see, I’m stuck here in this mansion, unable to leave and experience the joys of life beyond these walls. But there is a way, and for that I need you, Twilight Sparkle.

Because I am ever the benevolent pony, I have three options for you.

1: Surrender yourself wholly to me, mind body and soul, and we shall walk away from here together. Nopony else has to get hurt.

2: I finish what I’ve started, and use the power of the ritual to take what I want anyway.

3: You, Twilight Sparkle manage to stop me by finding out the truth. Hey, there’s gotta be a chance for me to lose, right?

I am eager to see the results of your decision. Of course, if you dally around too long, I’ll make the choice for you.

Best wishes and all my love,

-Golden Wish”


	7. Chapter 6 - Missing

  
Twilight stared down at the letter, her hooves shaking as her blood boiled in her veins.

This was real. Somepony had actually written this. They had taken a pen to this piece of paper, and written these words on it. Words that bragged about the murders of her closest friends. Words that taunted her. Words that expected her to play along in some kind of sick, twisted game.

She suddenly had a very strong desire to set something on fire.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight closed her eyes and slowly began counting backwards from ten as she clenched her teeth as hard as she could. In a way, this made things easier. Now she had a clear antagonist against whom she could focus her efforts. All she had to do was find this so called ‘Golden Wish’, stop her, and avenge Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

“Is that for real?” Rarity asked, her voice faint.

“As real as anything else in this mansion,” Twilight growled, handing the letter over so the others could take a look at it.

Twilight began pacing back and forth, her heart fluttering with… excitement? She had a target. Now she just needed a plan.

“And you found this letter right here on this table?” Applejack asked, gesturing towards the furniture in question.

Twilight stopped, frowning. How _had_ the letter gotten there? “Rainbow Dash… I know for a fact that this letter wasn’t here when we came in. Did you see anything at all? Maybe a flash as it was teleported in?” _No, this room is shielded, remember? “_ Or did you see some movement out of the corner of your eye?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Sorry, Twi. I didn’t notice anything until you pointed it out.”

A thought occurred to her and with a flap of her wings, Twilight flew up to the top of the room, inspecting the ceiling in the area above the table. To her dismay, she didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

“Uh, Twi? Mind telling us what’s up?” Applejack asked as Twilight returned to the ground, looking ornery.

“That letter can’t exist,” Twilight snapped, jabbing a hoof at the offending paper.

“I’m pretty sure it does,” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.

“But it can’t! There’s no way it could’ve gotten in here! This room is practically a fortress. Even if she was strong enough to force her way in, there’s no way she could’ve done it stealthily. Even if she had a key of her own, and, I dunno, turned invisible or something, we would’ve heard the door open and the loud click of the lock, and Rainbow surely would’ve noticed something. And there’s no crazy trick involved here either, no timed hidden compartment in the ceiling for a letter to mysteriously fall from,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath after her rant.

“Is it really that important, Twilight?” Rarity asked. “If this fiend is who she claims she is, than can’t she just wish the letter up here?”

Twilight snorted in response. “A power like that only belongs in old pony tales. There’s no way something so unrestricted and freely able to ignore the rules of magic could exist in real life. And if she did have this kind of power, why are any of us still alive at all? Why not finish us and be done with it? Nope. This letter being here is impossible.”

A heavy silence fell over the room as nopony really wanted to object to Twilight’s assertion, despite how ridiculous her conclusion was.

After a minute Rarity finally cleared her throat and spoke up. “So, Twilight? What are you going to do about this letter? She seems to be directly challenging you, after all.”

“I’m going to…” Twilight paused, considering. “Do nothing.”

“Nothing?!” all three ponies answered at once, looking to each other in confusion.

“Nothing,” Twilight repeated, feeling more confident. “At least, nothing that she suggests. I’m not going to play into the hooves of some sick murderer. We should be safe as long as we stick together. I don’t care how powerful she thinks she is – I won’t let her hurt any more of my friends. We’re going to find Princess Celestia and Luna, and together we’re going to stop her.”

Applejack came over and clopped Twilight on the shoulder, nodding. “Sounds like as good of a plan as any.”

“Will we really be safe out there?” Rarity asked, fidgeting slightly.

“Shoot, hon. If anypony tries to mess with us, we’ve got Twi’s magic, and then Rainbow and I will buck them into next week,” Applejack said, puffing her chest up.

“Right then. Rainbow Dash, you probably know this mansion better than the rest of us. Will you be able to make sure we search every room?” Twilight asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I guess,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice distant.

After a few minutes of gathering themselves, the group of four exited the study. Before they began the search however, Twilight had a few more things she wanted to confirm.

“Rainbow, is that the only key to this door?”

“I think so? Well, no, I’m sure the princesses have their own set. But other than that, probably. I could be wrong though,” Rainbow Dash said with a shrug.

Nodding, Twilight turned to face the ornate door which had locked behind them. She fired up her horn, allowing her magic to flow gently against the door. She felt for the various spell matrices that protected it. They were too complex and powerful to destroy or alter on her own, but she could add a spell on top of them.

After a few more moments of focus, the spell was complete. Twilight wiped the sweat from her brow and stood back, admiring her handiwork. “There. I’ve set a simple alarm spell on the room so that if anypony enters it while I’m gone, I’ll know immediately.”

Travelling a short distance and opening the door to the nearest guest room, Twilight called out, her voice echoing down the halls. “Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? Are you in here?”

This particular room wasn’t occupied, so the four searched through it quickly, checking wardrobes, underneath beds and in bathrooms, but finding nothing out of the ordinary.

The trepidation and determination they felt at searching a mansion while an admitted murderer lurked somewhere just out of sight slowly gave way into boredom. Each room they searched turned up nothing out of the ordinary. No sign of the princesses and no clues to the location of their enemy.

After two hours, Twilight finally closed the door to the library, giving an exasperated sigh. “Well, that’s every room. This mansion is just so big; I can’t shake the nagging feeling that there are all these hidden doors everywhere we’re just missing.”

“I dunno,” Applejack said. “I think if there were secret doors like that all over the place, we probably would’ve stumbled across at least one of ‘em by now.”

“In any case, we should probably be getting back to the study. Just because we haven’t found anything so far doesn’t mean we should let our guard down,” Twilight said.

There was a loud gurgling sound, and Twilight turned to see Rainbow Dash blushing slightly as she patted her stomach. “Actually Twi, can we swing by the kitchens first? None of us really ate breakfast this morning.”

“I’m not so sure about…” Twilight paused, realizing for the first time that she was pretty hungry herself. The events of the morning had certainly killed her appetite for a time, but whatever was to come, they shouldn’t be doing it on an empty stomach. “Actually yeah, that’s a good idea.”

“Are you sure that the food will be safe?” Rarity asked.

“Poisoning the food at this point seems like it might be a bit out of character, but better safe than sorry. I know a few spells that can detect both natural poisons and magical curses, so between those we should be safe,” Twilight said as they made their way down the hall.

The four of them quickly got to work at preparing a meal. Twilight inspected the food to make sure it was safe while the rest worked on preparation and cooking.

Eventually, Twilight found herself next to Rarity while they worked the stove, watching the pots boil in silence. She felt a fresh stab of agony as she remembered helping Fluttershy make last night’s dinner. It already seemed like a lifetime ago.

Eager to still the fears in heart by talking about something normal, Twilight spoke up. “So um, when we went through and searched your room earlier, I noticed some of the dresses you were working on. I didn’t know you brought them here, but they were really nice.”

“Oh, those…” Rarity said, a distant look in her eyes. “Thank you Twilight. I…”

Rarity choked sniffling as tears began to run down her cheeks.

Twilight winced at the sudden change in mood, and scrambled to offer a comforting hoof. “Rarity! Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s quite alright Twilight,” Rarity said with a pained laugh, wiping at her eyes. “I just… I hadn’t even started it yet, but I had such a wonderful dress in mind for Fluttershy to wear as a bridesmaid. She’s always had such a divine grace to her, don’t you think? And this really would’ve accented it perfectly… And I’m sure Pinkie Pie would have thrown us one of her best parties yet. But now… we’ll never get to see that, will we?”

Twilight tried to fight back the tears welling up in her own eyes. “Rarity...”

Rarity closed her eyes, weeping softly. “What are we supposed to do, Twilight? Even if we make it out of here, stop this villain and bring her to justice, how are we supposed to move on? They’re… dead. There’s going to be a giant hole in our lives that will never go away.”

Twilight found herself staring at her hooves. “I can’t shake the feeling that this is all just a terrible nightmare. That once this is over, I’ll wake up and everything will be back to normal, and we’ll see each others smiling faces again. I know that’s not true, and it never can be anymore. But my heart isn’t willing to let go of that delusion.”

Taking a deep breath, Twilight looked up, staring into Rarity’s eyes with determination. “But we are going to get through this. I’m going to stop her. And afterwards… it will be hard. Harder than anything we’ve ever had to do, but we’ll all be there for each other. Consider it a Pinkie Promise.”

Rarity smiled, laughing slightly as she wiped away her tears. “Oh Twilight. You really are amazing, you know that?”

Twilight reached over and pulled her friend into a close hug. She honestly had no idea what she was doing, and could barely even keep herself together. But she had to keep trying, for the sake of her friends as well as herself.

“Right then,” Rarity said. “I think those fritters are about done, can you get them out of the oven for me?”

* * *

The group ate their meal in relative silence. The food was good, but for all of them the recent tragedy had dulled the joys of a tasty meal.

When everyone was done, Twilight began levitating the plates from the table, ready to start cleaning up. As she moved towards the sink, she paused, noticing something odd. “Does… anyone else smell that?”

The others started sniffing at her prompt, looking around in confusion.

“There does seem to be a certain… unpleasant odor in the air,” Rarity said, wrinkling her nose. “It smells kind of like… something burning?”

“Ah hay,” Applejack cursed, jumping up from her seat. “You don’t think there’s a fire, do you?”

“Blech,” Rainbow Dash said, covering her nose with a hoof. “It smells like burning garbage.”

Twilight hesitantly poked her head out into the hallway, looking back and forth. There wasn’t an immediate conflagration or inferno waiting to greet her, so that was a plus, but the smell only seemed to get stronger.

“I think it’s coming from out here, you guys,” Twilight said in between coughs, her voice adopting a nasally tone as she tried to block the smell.

Motioning for the others to gather close around her, she cast a quick spell to create a bubble of clean air around them, and they set off down the hall.

Twilight had a faint inkling as to where the smell might be coming from. As she made her way there, her intuition was rewarded; faint strands of black smoke began to drift past her shield, becoming more noticeable as they got closer to the source.

“This is the door to the basement, right? Is the boiler broken or something?” Rarity asked, straining to see through the clouds of black smoke wafting up from the stairwell.

Twilight lit her horn, focusing it into a strong beam of light to at least pierce the cloud somewhat. “We were just down there earlier when searching the place, but I didn’t see anything weird.”

Worried about the structural integrity of the staircase, Twilight instead spread her wings, floating down into the basement below.

There was neither a wave of immense heat nor roar of flames, and once she got a clear view through the smoke it was as Rarity had guessed. The large boiler unit in the back was spewing clouds of smoke, a soft light emanating from within.

“It’s safe,” she called up the stairs, and the others quickly trotted down.

“I remember there being a back door to the garden in here,” Applejack said as she moved through the room. “I’ll go open that up, and Rainbow can give us a little wing power to blow the smoke outside instead.”

As the two set to clear out the room, Twilight moved to inspect the boiler itself. Would a machine like this just start randomly malfunctioning? Now of all times? Or was this more foul play?

Swallowing, Twilight gripped the handle with her telekinesis and pulled the boiler open, releasing a fresh wave of obscuring smoke.

As Rainbow’s wind power kicked into full gear, the contents of the boiler were revealed.

Bones.

The inside of the boiler was littered with charred bones, ash, and scraps of what was most certainly once organic material.

_No, this can’t be…_

Twilight stood there with her mouth open, feeling numb. Was this really happening again? Even after everything she had promised herself and her friends, was some other pony dead? Was it…

_Wait._

Twilight blinked, taking a closer look at the scattering of bones inside. They were of all different shapes and sizes, ribs, femurs, flanges and hip bones. None of them really matched.

_These are just animal bones._

Twilight felt a surge of relief wash through her body at her observation, followed by a pang of guilt at feeling relieved. These animals surely didn’t deserve their fate either.

“What’s in there, Twilight? I can’t see from here,” Rarity asked, trying to wave the smoke out of her face.

“Burned animal carcasses,” Twilight answered. “Mostly bones at this point.”

“You serious?” Applejack asked as she came back from the door. “Who the hay would stuff a bunch of poor critters into a boiler like that? That’s just sick.”

“I think we know who,” Rarity spat.

“I’m fairly certain that the animals were dead before they were incinerated. Whether our culprit killed them herself or not is up for question as well. But judging by this rather macabre display, and the fact that we didn’t notice anything when we first came through here… she wanted us to find this,” Twilight said.

Applejack growled, her eyes darting around the room. “This is gettin’ mighty ridiculous. First that darn letter tauntin’ you, and now a buncha dead animals. And fer what? She tryin’ to scare us or something?”

Taking a deep breath, Applejack called out loudly, “Why don’t you get yer golden behind out here and show yerself so we can all settle this mare to mare!”

Her words hung in the air, echoing faintly in the enclosed basement, and as expected, had no response. Rarity simply moved over and nuzzled her fiancé, her proximity causing Applejack to blush slightly and simmer down.

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Twilight said, frowning. “She’s trying to play some sick game with me, but I don’t even know the rules, or what she’s after. Even when I-“

Twilight froze, her breath catching in her throat as she caught sight of a strange bone out of the corner of her eye. That couldn’t be... could it?

Gingerly, she reached out with her telekinesis and lifted the long, cylindrical, pointed object out of the ashes. Even though it was slightly melted, the ribs along its length and its dark color spoke volumes about where it came from.

It was a unicorn’s horn.

In a panic, Twilight began sifting through the rest of bones, looking for another horn of similar size. Her frantic telekinetic grabs kicked up dust and ash, which skimmed across her shield and around the room, prompting coughing fits from the ponies too far away to be protected by her shield.

“There’s only one…” Twilight said, letting out a sigh of relief as she finished searching through the bones, even as tears began to well up in her eyes again.

“Just what is it you found in there that’s got you kicking up all this dust, Twilight?” Applejack asked in between sneezes.

Wordlessly, Twilight turned around and levitated the horn up so everypony could see.

“Is that…” Applejack said, her mouth falling open in shock.”

“Princess Luna?” Rarity finished with a small voice.

“It certainly seems that way,” Twilight said, letting her head sink. Compared to the sheer terror and sorrow she had felt when discovering Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, this new discovery bruised a dull aching into her heart. She really had failed.

“They… she could still be alive… right?” Rarity asked, her eyes pleading for a tiny hope.

“It’s possible, I suppose,” Twilight said, shuddering involuntarily at the thought of her horn being chopped off. “And I checked. It’s just the horn; none of the other bones in there belong to ponies. And there was only the one horn.”

It was slim, but without knowing the true fate of both sisters, it was possible anything could still happen. As long as that tiny sliver of chance still existed, Twilight could hold out for a miracle.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Applejack asked, her voice wavering.

“First… we should clean this mess up. I don’t know what exactly happened to these animals, but the least we could do is give them a proper burial,” Twilight said.

The four of them quickly got to work, Twilight and Rarity used their magic to clean out the boiler while Rainbow Dash and Applejack dug some quick holes outside. While normal winter conditions would make the ground nearly impenetrable, the natural hot springs in the garden left the soil soft and pliable.

Thirty minutes later, the group stood around the hole as Twilight slowly began to levitate the dirt back into it.

“Should… somepony say something?” Rainbow Dash asked.

After a few moments where no one spoke up, Twilight nodded and stepped forward herself.  
“I can’t say I knew these animals… but I’m willing to bet that Fluttershy did. For whatever reason, she loved it here in this mansion. She loved this garden, and I’m sure that these animals were a big part of that. I’m sure that Fluttershy showed them the love and kindness they never would have normally received in an isolated place like this, and I’m sure they were happy.”

The four hung their heads in silence as Twilight filled the last of the hole, marking the spot with a small cairn of stones.

“I… don’t mean to sound insensitive or anything, but does it seem off to anypony that we’re burying these animals when we haven’t even buried our friends yet?” Rarity asked, her eyes watering.

Twilight shook her head. “It’s fine, Rarity. Even beyond the need to keep the crime scene intact… I don’t want Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy to stay here. They deserve to be laid to rest in Ponyville.”

The shed was visible from where they all stood, still covered in the shield Twilight had put over it earlier. They were all doing their best to ignore it.

“We should… probably head back to the study for now,” Twilight said, her voice low. 

She levitated Luna’s horn along with her. She couldn’t bring herself to bury it. There was the chance that Luna was still alive, and if so, she might want it back.

She had to hold on to that hope.

* * *

Twilight let out a sigh, sniffling slightly. This was certainly heavy stuff. It hadn’t taken her by surprise this time, but it still weighed deeply on her heart, fictional narrative or no.

When Twilight looked up from the book to glance at Fluttershy, the pegasus winced, ducking as if she expected another outburst.

Twilight found herself laughing slightly at her friend’s reaction. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I’m not mad.”

“Oh. Um, that’s good,” Fluttershy said, blushing slightly and allowing a small smile to return to her face.

Glancing back at the book, Twilight found herself frowning. The more she read, the more puzzle pieces were introduced, but it was like she was trying to put together a puzzle without having the picture on the box. And there weren’t any edge pieces.

“Oh, just a note on something I noticed earlier,” Twilight said, turning her attention back to Fluttershy. “Bones don’t melt.”

“Huh?” Fluttershy asked, looking confused.

“There was a passage earlier that described Luna’s horn as ‘slightly melted’. But bones don’t melt, they just burn. Especially at the temperatures you’d find in a standard boiler unit,” Twilight said.

“O-oh…” Fluttershy stammered, her eyes going wide. “Is, um… that so?”

Twilight nodded, launching into explanation mode. “Right. Bones are actually quite durable, and the calcium and other inorganic materials make it so they don’t melt. They’ll turn to ash at a high enough temperature, otherwise just blacken and char.”

Fluttershy continued to stare at Twilight for a few moments, before forcing a smile. “Um, thank you for noticing?”

Twilight blushed slightly, looking away. “I mean, it’s a minor descriptive thing really. You can edit that out easily enough later.”

A silence fell in the air and Fluttershy continued to regard Twilight as if she were expecting something more. When nothing came, her forced smile disappeared and she nodded softly.  
“That’s, uh, an interesting observation Twilight. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Twilight let out a sigh. Why was she being so nitpicky about something like this? She needed to focus on the things that mattered in the novel, scope out the clues, and solve the mystery.

But was it still a mystery? Sure, there were murders and mysterious happenings, but everything in the novel seemed to be shifting more into the slant of an adventure story where she would defeat the evil alicorn, Golden Wish. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it kind of pulled the rug out from under what the story had been building up to.

Twilight almost thought to ask Fluttershy for a hint, or maybe some clarification to set her on the right path, but that somehow felt like cheating. She should approach what was written with an open mind, and figure it out on her own terms.

Fluttershy would certainly appreciate it.


	8. Chapter 7 - En Passant

  
They were able to reach the study without incident, and Twilight found that her alarm spell was just as she’d left it. While it was a good thing the wards remained uncompromised, she slightly wished that somepony had been foolish enough to trigger it instead, so she could have caught them in the act.

Even with her magical precautions in place, Twilight still entered the room cautiously, her horn at the ready in case something was waiting for them in the shadows. When they confirmed that the study was empty and just as they had left it, she felt the tension drain out of her.

“Well, we made it back in one piece,” Twilight said, then immediately winced at her phrasing as she placed Luna’s horn up on a desk.

“I suppose that’s one thing we should be thankful for,” Rarity said, laughing bitterly.

“So just what are we supposed to be doin’ now?” Applejack asked as she moved through the study, tracking mud from her earlier exertions across the carpet.

Rarity flinched back, scrunching up her nose at her fiancé. “How about you take a bath?”

“What? Are you fer… This ain’t the time nor the place hon. We need a plan of action, not to be clean!” Applejack shouted, pulling back and angrily stomping a mud covered hoof for emphasis.

“Like what!?” Rarity shouted back, her eyes full of fire and tears. “Sit around and wait until some unstoppable alicorn witch chops off my horn and feeds it to you!? She’s already gotten to Celestia and Luna, what can we possibly do, hm? If we’re going to die horribly, we might as well look good doing it!”

Applejack stood there, her mouth hanging open at Rarity’s words.

“Enough!” Twilight shouted, flashing a bright light from her horn to get everypony’s attention. “I know how stressed you are – we all are – but we can’t afford to do this now.” Glaring at both of them until they blushed in shame, Twilight continued. “Besides, I have a plan.”

“Wait, seriously?” Rainbow Dash asked, perking up.

“Well,” Twilight began. “It’s pretty obvious no matter how hard we look, we’re probably not going to find her. And she doesn’t seem to be willing to face us head on, either, or she would have tried it by now. What does that tell you?”

After a brief pause, Applejack raised a hoof. “That uh, she’s scared of all of us together. Otherwise, she’d be done with it, right?”

Twilight nodded, smiling. “That’s correct. And, judging by her tactics so far, she wants to demoralize us; to keep us cowering in fear till the stress breaks us. It’s not like villains haven’t tried similar tactics on us in the past.”

With a pained grimace, Twilight walked over to the study window and looked out over the garden. “Though none of them have ever been so… effective.”

Shaking her head to clear out her malaise, she continued. “So if we can’t go to her, and she won’t come to us, then what can we do?”

“That would be the waiting to die part I mentioned earlier, darling,” Rarity said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“We set a trap!” Twilight said excitedly, ignoring Rarity’s snark.

“A trap? How the hay is that supposed to work? What could we possibly use as bait?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well…” Twilight faltered, looking away. “It would be really dangerous.”

“So one of us has to pretend to be alone and helpless, and when she shows up, the others all jump in quickly. Is that what you’re saying?” Rarity asked.

“In a sense,” Twilight said. “I have a few ideas on how to make sure the pony stays absolutely safe. Rarity, can you sense any gems in this room?”

“Gems?” Rarity asked, looking confused. “I suppose I can check.”

Rarity closed her eyes and lit up her horn, focusing. “It seems like there’s a decently sized cache of them in that lower drawer over there. I can only assume it belongs to the princesses.”

“Perfect!” Twilight said, as she trotted over to the drawer in question and began rifling through it. “These are exactly what I need. Thanks, Rarity!”

“Uh, I don’t really think this is a good idea, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, not meeting her eyes. “Do you really think something so… simple would really work?”

Twilight frowned, looking Rainbow Dash up and down. “What’s the matter with you, Rainbow? I would have figured you’d be chomping at the bit for something this.”

“I just…” Rainbow Dash bit her lip and looked away. “It’s nothing. Forget it. I’ll play bait if you want me too; I can get away the fastest after all.”

“Well, you weren’t my first suggestion, but I guess that works,” Twilight said, turning back to the others. 

“Anyway, I’m going to need some time to prepare. Maybe an hour or two, so make yourselves comfortable.”

After Twilight levitated the gems over to a nearby table and had begun her work, Rarity turned to Applejack, blushing. “I’m sorry I snapped at you like that earlier. Everything just seems so… hopeless.”

Applejack smiled, bowing her head slightly before looking back up and giving Rarity a peck on the cheek. “It’s alright, hon. None of us are at our best right now, but we gotta keep trying.”

With a light smile, Rarity turned around and took a few steps before turning back and looking Applejack up and down. “Since we apparently have the time now, I don’t suppose I could convince you to take that bath after all? I could use one myself, if you don’t mind sharing.”

Blushing furiously, Applejack swallowed and began to stammer, but suddenly stood up straight as if struck by lightning, her face transforming into an unreadable mask. “I’d… like that, hon. There’s, uh, something I’ve been wanting to tell you for awhile now, anyway. Seems like a good opportunity,” she said stiffly.

Rarity frowned at the sudden change in mood, but decided to go along with it anyway. The two moved into the bathroom, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Twilight worked on her newest project in peace and quiet. She was glad for the lack of distractions, but the silence that hung over the room was heavy and unwelcome. Rainbow Dash just kept staring out the window, not saying a word as the sky darkened outside.

As she finished etching runes into the first of the gemstones she was working on, Twilight stepped away from the table, glancing over at her friend.

“Hey, Rainbow… You feeling alright?”

Rainbow Dash turned around slowly, fixing Twilight with a blank expression for several uncomfortably long moments before mumbling, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Putting her work aside, Twilight moved over to the window next to Dash and slung her wing over her shoulder. “It’s okay, you know. We’re all trying to be strong here, but there’s no shame in letting it out. Fluttershy wouldn’t want you to bottle everything up.”

Rainbow Dash snorted and barked out an angry laugh. “Yeah, right.” Pulling away from Twilight’s embrace, she moved over to the fireplace and sat down. “Just leave me alone, Twi. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Twilight winced at the stinging words, but she doubted pushing would get her any farther. Rainbow Dash had always been so close to both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. _Everypony deals with grief in their own way._  
 __  
“Well, alright then,” Twilight said, turning back to the table. “In any case, since you volunteered to be the bait, let me explain how these things work.”

Rainbow Dash gave a nod of acknowledgement, so Twilight levitated one of the completed gems over to the two of them. “The simple version is this – smash this gem with your hoof and it will set off an alarm notifying me of the exact location, and I can teleport there to spring the trap.”

Grinning at her own genius, Twilight continued, “Of course, due to the nature of our opponent, something like that wouldn’t help if she gets the jump on you, so there are two failsafes as well. Once activated, the alarm will go off in five minutes, unless you tap on it two times with your hoof to reset the timer. And, on top of that, the alarm should go off if anypony uses magic within ten meters of the gem.”

“That’s… actually pretty well thought out, ”Rainbow Dash said, looking surprised. “Though I still don’t think this is going to work.”

“I…” Twilight faltered, looking away. “Look, this is still a definite long shot, so you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I don’t want to put you in danger, and we really have no idea what our opponent is capable of.”

Rainbow Dash turned towards Twilight, grinning weakly. “Hey, come on, Twi. I’m Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash, remember? I could probably handle this even without your fancy trinket.”

“Then how come you don’t think my plan will work?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, well,” Rainbow’s grin faded, her previously melancholic demeanor returning. “I just don’t think she’ll actually show up. That’s all.”

“Well, I’m open to suggestions if you’ve got any,” Twilight said, frowning.

“I…” Rainbow Dash paused, holding Twilight’s gaze for a silent minute, seemingly just on the verge of saying something. “It’s nothing, never mind.”

Twilight was about to press the issue further, but was interrupted by a crashing sound coming from the bathroom, followed by the sound of splashing water.

Readying her horn, Twilight prepared for the worst. “Are you two alright in there?”

There was the sound of scrambling hooves on a tile floor before the bathroom door was flung open and Rarity charged out, soaking wet.

“Rarity, wait!” Applejack called out, her voice desperate as she climbed out of the tub.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Rarity screamed, her eyes full of tears as she grasped a nearby chair with her magic and threw it at the door. “I don’t even know who you are!”

Twilight could only stand there, mouth agape, as she watched the scene unfold before her.

“Please,” Applejack said, begging. “Can’t we just talk about this? I’m sorry, but there’s gotta be a way this can be right.”

“Right? Right!?” Rarity backed away frantically, moving towards the door. “How can you possibly expect me to forgive something like this? Our entire relationship was built on a lie from the start? What happened to being the element of honesty!?

“I…” Applejack hung her head in shame. “I still love you.”

“Well apparently,” Rarity paused, opening the door to the study and looking back. “I never did.” Sobbing, she ran out into the hallway.

Breaking out of her stupor, Twilight rushed forward. “Wait, what are you doing? You’ll die out there!”

Rarity was already around the corner and out of sight when Twilight heard her call back.

“So be it!”

“That stupid…” Twilight growled under her breath before preparing to teleport after her. _Of all the things that had to go wrong…_

With a painful crash, Twilight was thrown backwards from the wall into the table. She had forgotten about the wards on the room. Apparently they worked both ways.

As Twilight pulled herself free from the splintered wood, Applejack trotted up, pausing in the doorway. “Look, this is my mess. I better clean it up.”

Twilight sputtered as she stood back up. “But we had a plan!”

“Plans change, sugarcube. We’ll be the bait for now. I’m… I’m a terrible pony, Twi. Just, give me some time, alright?”

“I…” Twilight stared at Applejack incredulously. This was an incredibly bad idea. “Just take this, alright? Knock on it twice every five minutes, smash it if there’s any danger, and we’ll be right there.

Taking the gem from Twilight in her teeth and swinging the necklace up around her neck, Applejack galloped out into the hall, the heavy study door slowly closing on its own and locking behind her.

After a long pause, Rainbow Dash finally spoke up. “What just happened?”

“I have no idea,” Twilight said, her expression still bewildered.

“I mean, I know Rarity is the overreacting type, but what could Applejack have possibly done to get a reaction like that out of her?” Rainbow Dash asked as she picked up some of the broken pieces of the table.

“You don’t think it's… related to the murders, do you?” Twilight asked, dark thoughts suddenly entering her mind.

Rainbow Dash snorted dismissively. “No way. Sounds like this is something that goes way back. Anyway, what are we supposed to do now?”

Sighing, Twilight stared at the door, apprehension twisting her gut into knots. “I guess we wait.”

* * *

Applejack slowed her gallop to a trot as she raced down the halls. As much as she knew she needed to get to Rarity right away, she was afraid. Afraid to see that look of hurt and betrayal. Afraid to feel the brunt of the scorn that she utterly deserved.

“Applejack, you are one stupid pony,” she muttered under her breath. Right from the start, it was her mistake. Her original desperate bid for affection had grown from a tiny lie into a gaping wound in her heart. One she was reminded of every time she looked at the love of her life.

She had played her confession out a hundred times in her head. This was one of the worst possible outcomes, but one that she had always considered the most realistic. Of course, her timing had left a lot to be desired. To burden Rarity with a revelation like that, when two of their friends were dead, and a murderer stalked them in the shadows…

Coming to a complete stop, Applejack shook her head. The time for excuses was gone and past. There was no guarantee they’d even last the night. Telling her had been the right decision.

Looking up, she realized that she had come to a stop in front of the portrait of Golden Wish in the entrance hall. Feeling a fresh surge of anger, she growled under her breath, “Why can’t ya just stay in pony tales where you belong, huh?”

Wheeling around, Applejack leaned forward and bucked the wall as hard as she could. The wood splintered and cracked beneath her hooves and the painting rocked back and forth. The sound of the impact echoed around the entrance hall before quietly fading away, leaving an empty silence that matched the emptiness she felt after her pointless outburst.

“Be careful what you wish for…” she muttered, hanging her head. “Not exactly an uncommon sentiment when it comes to old folklore. Guess I never took that lesson to heart.”

She was about to continue on her way when she felt a strange twinge around her neck. Blinking in surprise, she realized it was the odd necklace Twilight had given her. Some sort of defensive charm?

Shrugging, she followed the instructions she was given and tapped the gem twice with a hoof, which seemed to calm the jewelry down. Easy enough.

Of course, Rarity didn’t have one…

Applejack quickened her pace down the halls. When she approached the room that they were both staying in, she could hear sobbing from within. It looked like she’d guessed right.

Reaching to open the door, she hesitated, her heart seizing in her gut. What right did she really have?

There was a pause in the sobbing. After a few moments, Rarity called out, her voice hoarse. “Is somepony out there? If you’re planning to murder me, could you at least make me look good?”

Applejack let out a sigh. “It’s just me, Rar.”

After another long pause, there was the sound of hoofsteps and the door unlocking. It glowed with the grasp of magic and opened, Rarity staring out with a dull expression.

“Well, come on in. If we’re going to be out here stupidly and get killed for it, we might as well do it together.”

Applejack bit her lip and followed Rarity inside, making sure to relock the door behind them.

As a heavy silence fell upon the room, Applejack continued to stare at the floor, unable to meet her gaze. “Look, I —” she began, but was cut off with a dismissive scoff from Rarity.

“You what? You’re sorry? Do platitudes like that even matter anymore? I’m really not even sure how I’m supposed to respond to this,” Rarity said as she began pacing about the room.

Applejack flinched at the cold anger in her words. She wasn’t sure if she preferred this or the dramatic outbursts instead.

“It’s just so hard to believe…” Rarity said, staring wistfully at nothing, “that the last year of my life… the best year of my life, was all based on a lie, an illusion. It certainly felt real.” Rarity turned to Applejack, her eyes glistening as she let out a sigh. “It still does.”

Swallowing, Applejack spoke up, trying to find the right words. “I reckon I don’t actually know whether it worked or not. Could’ve just been a crazy coincidence, and I lucked out that you felt the same. But the fact that I still tried… even though I didn’t think through the implications at the time… it’s still unforgivable.”

Rarity shook her head, smiling painfully. “I certainly remember how I felt back then. Perhaps my memories really were altered. But if such a power truly exists, we could just as easily question the reality of anything, could we not?”

Applejack snorted, a short laugh escaping from her in spite of it all. ”Hold on there now, hon. If we start to get into a philosophical debate on what’s real and what isn’t, Twilight will come bursting through the door waving books around that are thicker than my head.”

Unable to help themselves, they both burst out laughing, the joyful sound washing away some of the accumulated tension hanging in the air.

“I certainly...” Rarity started, but trailed off, her smile fading as she pursed her lips. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive you darling, but,” with a sigh, Rarity shook her head and smiled. “I still love you.”

Those words – those four wonderful words struck Applejack like a hammer blow to her heart, filling her with both boundless hope and immense shame. Just like they had when she’d first bared her heart to the mare she loved one year ago.

“I love you too,” Applejack said, her eyes beginning to mist over. “Even if I don’t deserve you.”

“You’re right,” Rarity scoffed, putting up false airs. “You don’t deserve me. I guess I’m just too generous for my own good.”

Applejack chuckled weakly, pawing at the ground. Even though she knew she was just being teased, the wounds were still too fresh and the words stung.

“I suppose the wedding is called off for now,” Applejack mumbled, trying to play her concern off as a joke.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Rarity said, a twinkle in her eye. “You know, they say intent is everything. When you propose, you promise to be with that pony for the rest of your life, through thick and thin. As long as you both feel the same, you might as well be married already, right? At that time, I was beyond happy. Even if we had both been struck dead a day after you proposed, our souls would still be joined as one.”

“I…” Applejack worked her mouth, her throat suddenly dry. “I reckon a promise made under false pretenses ain’t no promise at all.”

“In that case,” Rarity said, smiling coyly as she sunk to her knees. “Will you, Applejack, deign to marry me and do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Applejack’s mouth dropped open in shock. She didn’t deserve this. After what she had done, the lie she had based it all on, here she was, this wonderful mare, still willing to have her. Tears rolling down her face, she managed to choke out “I do.”

“Good!” Rarity said curtly, as if she was simply closing up a business deal. “You may now kiss the bride.”

As their lips met, the dam broke in Applejack. Everything she’d been holding back came rushing out and she began sobbing like a filly.

***

A short time later the two rested on the bed, nuzzling against each other.

“It’s not fair,” Applejack mumbled, her face buried in her fiancé’s coat.

“Hmm? What’s that, darling?” Rarity asked, looking up.

“When I proposed to you, I did it all fancy like; had everything planned for months, and the five star dinner and…”

Laughing, Rarity elbowed her in the ribs. “Quiet you.”

Applejack pulled back slightly so she could look Rarity in the eyes and gave her a soft smile. “So this is it, huh? Together until the end?”

Rarity leaned in and kissed her on the lips lightly. “Together. Forever and always.”

* * *

Twilight paced back and forth around the study, her eyes frequently flicking to the clock on the wall.

“This is getting ridiculous. Something should’ve happened by now. Either Applejack forgets to activate the device or Rarity accidentally uses her magic and sets it off or…” Twilight trailed off, grimacing. “We should go check on them. Don’t you think we should go check on them? Ugh, this was a bad idea!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, flopping backwards onto the couch. “For the last time, Twi, I’m sure they’re fine. Applejack and Rarity are both capable ponies, they can handle themselves. And, if a trap is going to be a trap, we can’t just back out because we got cold hooves.”

“But it’s also true that you need to know what is and what isn’t an acceptable risk. If you can use your pawns as bait to lure out and capture an opponent’s queen, that’s all well and good, but if you have to sacrifice a bishop or a knight, then it might not always be in your best interests and,” Twilight stopped, her eyes going wide. “Okay wow, I REALLY shouldn’t think about my friends in terms like that.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, looking Twilight up and down. “Who are you trying to convince here, Twilight? If you want to call the whole thing off, just do it. It’s not like I’m going to stop you either way.” With a pause, she added, “Besides, you’re looking at it the wrong way. Nopony’s going to sacrifice a Queen just to take out a knight or a bishop. Not without either being a total newb or having a good combo set up, anyway.”

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash, her mouth hanging open. “Just how do you know…?”

She froze, smacking her face with her hoof. Rainbow was right, of course. You can’t bait an action just by leaving a piece seemingly open with a counterattack prepared to strike. You have to threaten on multiple fronts and arrange things so any move your opponent takes has at least some negative outcome.

“We need to go get Applejack and Rarity and think this through a lot better,” Twilight said, turning towards the door.

“Alright, whatever you say,” Rainbow Dash said, yawning as she got up from the couch. “Where do you think they went?”

“I’m not sure. Where would Rarity go after running out like that?” Twilight levitated the paired gem up from the table. She was about to sling it around her neck when it suddenly flashed green and emitted a high pitched whine.

“That’s the timer alarm,” Twilight said, a sudden pang of fear lancing through her heart. She almost teleported right away, but remembered her mistake from earlier. “I think she’s in their shared room, let’s go!”

“I’m on it,” Rainbow said, already opening the door. “I’ll meet you there!”

“Wait, we should go together!” Twilight called out after Rainbow, but she was already gone. Growling under her breath, she quickly galloped out into the hallway outside of the study’s protections, and focused on the gem, preparing to teleport to the signature it gave off.

With a flash she disappeared and found herself face to face with Golden Wish herself.

Or the portrait of her, anyway. As soon as she recovered from the initial shock, Twilight looked around frantically and realized she was in the entrance hall. There was no sign of anypony else.

Had she overshot? Were the coordinates in the gem wrong? Or had she just been thinking too strongly about Golden Wish? With a lump in her throat, she wheeled to the right and galloped down the hall towards Rarity’s room.

As she rounded the corner, she could see the door was already open. Rainbow Dash would have beaten here there of course and –

Twilight skidded to a halt as she entered the room, her breath frozen in her throat.

The room was in total disarray. Pillows were thrown about, dresses were torn to shreds, and the dresser mirror was shattered, pieces of glass strewn across the floor.

The chaos of the room contrasted with the peace of the couple within. Applejack and Rarity lay together on the bed, their heads resting on each other’s shoulders, smiling softly. They looked for all the world, like the quintessential happy couple napping together.

Rainbow Dashed turned to look at Twilight, her eyes wide and lip quivering. “Twi… I got here as fast as I could, but…”

The blood dripped down from the soaked bedsheets, and was beginning to pool around Rainbow Dash’s hooves.

In an instant, Twilight was at the bedside, her hooves reaching down to examine the pair. They were still warm, but there was so much blood… it was already a foregone conclusion.

“There’s no pulse,” Twilight heard herself say in a strangely dry tone.

“So… they’re dead. For real. Rarity and Applejack are actually dead…” Rainbow Dash stared down at the two corpses, her mouth continuing to move soundlessly even after she finished speaking.

Twilight lowered her head, firing up her horn and inspecting the corpses closer. As she did so, there was a blue flash and a high pitched whine as Applejacks gem reacted to the nearby magic. 

“Both of them have deep wounds severing their left and right brachial arteries. With a precise wound like that, a pony will bleed out in a matter of minutes without immediate medical intervention,” Twilight announced coldly.

She felt… strangely self aware. There was the odd disconnect in knowing that she should be utterly crushed by despair right now. Two more of her friends were dead. Only one remained. Neither of them would probably last much longer. She had failed, utterly and irrevocably.  
But all she felt was a strange emptiness. The numbness inside was like a surrender to the hopeless inevitability of the near future.

“Rainbow Dash, was the door still locked when you got here? Did you have to bust in? And did you happen to see any weapons or cutting tools lying around?” Twilight asked as she finished her inspection of the corpses.

“Huh? I… Yes? Er, wait, no? I…” Rainbow Dash choked on her words, her eyes brimming with tears. She swallowed, and tried to focus her thoughts before speaking again. “I didn’t see any weapons.”

 _Closed room._ A voice bubbled up from the depths of Twilight’s memories, noting a pattern. Both sets of murders, and even the strange incident with the library had taken place in a closed room, as if this were the plot in some mystery novel.

Of course, when the culprit is a psychopathic alicorn dragon-witch who can apparently skirt by the very laws of magic, the presence of locks on doors and magic detecting trinkets doesn’t matter much, does it?

Twilight looked over to Rainbow and jumped with a start, her stupor momentarily forgotten. “Rainbow, you’re…” A trickle of blood ran down the side of Rainbow’s mouth. Had she bitten her tongue that hard?

“I…” Rainbow Dash bowed her head, scrunching her eyes up tight. “Not like this. Not anymore.”

She slowly looked up at Twilight, a fierce growl boiling from within her. “I’m going to fix this, Twi. Somehow. I’m sorry. You might want to find some cover.”

“Rainbow, what are you talking about?” Twilight asked, reaching a forehoof out to her friend but catching only air as Rainbow sped off, out into the hallway and around the corner. “Wait!”

Twilight chased after her, pausing in the doorframe to look back at her recently departed friends. It felt bad to just leave them like this, but she couldn’t risk losing another.

Following the afterimages of rainbow contrails, Twilight quickly ascertained that Rainbow had gone outside and teleported out to the front steps in order to catch up.

Before she could even get her bearings, she felt her ears pop as the air suddenly spun around her. The magic of her shield began to shatter and dissipate and the storm suddenly rushed back into the mansion, no longer held at bay.

“Rainbow Dash…”

* * *

Rainbow Dash slammed into Twilight’s shield with all her might, straining for a moment before it shattered above her hooves and she shot into the waiting blizzard.

The sudden disruption in the atmosphere made her ascent even harder, but they didn’t call her the best flyer in Equestria for nothing.

Even as the cold winds battered her furiously, trying with all their might to knock her out of the sky, she continued climbing up and up. Just as icicles began to form on her wings, she burst through the top layer of cloud cover, exiting the storm and basking momentarily in the radiance of the stars and the moon.

Still she needed to fly higher. So she kept going up until the air was so thin she could barely breathe. She hovered there, the cold biting deep into her as she looked down on the world below.

While normally she would feel utterly free this high up in the air, like an escape from all earthly responsibilities, this time she could almost see the golden chains dragging her to the ground, forcing her to face reality.

“So much for loyalty,” she muttered, her voice absorbed by the howling winds of the upper atmosphere.

As she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Rainbow Dash allowed herself to drop, swiftly shifting into a proper dive.

There wasn’t exactly an elegant solution to this. But elegance had never been her specialty, after all. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. So why not solve it by doing what she was best at?

As she picked up speed, she could feel the traditional strain and pull of the air before she burst into a sonic rainboom. In the past, performing one took every ounce of strength she had, but now they were commonplace. Almost boring.

This next part would be new, though. She banked, twisting her downward dive into a rotating spiral, the wind slowly beginning to swirl around her. Right as she was about to hit the cloud cover below, she began to spin, blasting through the clouds and angling herself to use the whipping winds of the storm to her advantage.

The clouds were pulled towards the rainbow drill of contrails as Rainbow Dash crafted her tornado, directing the most powerful, destructive might the weather could offer on the mansion below.

What would this really accomplish? Was it just a futile act of rage against a hopeless fate? She wasn’t really even sure at this point, but it was already far too late to stop.

She knew Twilight would never forgive her, but annihilating the object of their sorrow might bring some form of peace to both ponies. And hey, there was still the chance everything would work out in the end.

Holding onto that bitter hope, Rainbow Dash continued to spin round and round, almost breaking through the storm cover below. The whipping winds and snow forced her to squint as hard as she could, barely able to see. With a pained laugh, she realized this would be a lot easier had she taken a few extra seconds to grab her goggles before flying up here.

Had she bothered to do so, she might have noticed the golden flash speeding towards her as she entered the sky above the mansion.

Red clouded her vision as a sharp pain lanced across her chest. She tumbled from her carefully controlled spin, the tornado dissipating in a flash of colors.

As the ground rushed towards her, she could just barely make out Twilight, a glowing purple speck in the distance.

_I’m sorry._


	9. Chapter 8 - Checkmate

Twilight stared upwards; the whipping winds and darkening sky made it almost impossible to see. The cold wind bit deeply into her body, and her mind felt equally as numb. What was she doing? What was she supposed to do? Was there anything she could do anymore?

Focusing her magic, she called forth enough light to illuminate all the way up to the cloud cover, a veritable spotlight shining from her horn. She swung her head left and right, desperately scanning the clouds for any sign of where her last friend had gone.

A disturbance in the clouds caught her attention, a small section above the mansion beginning to swirl around unnaturally. As she focused her light and attention on the abnormality, it grew in intensity, speeding up and bulging downwards, streaks of colored light starting to flash along the edges.

_That has to be Rainbow Dash, but what in Equestria is she…?_

The clouds spun faster, the protrusion becoming more conical and more colorful. Then she could see it. The spinning cyan blur who pulled a tornado down from the clouds, directing all the fury of the storm to smite the mansion below.

“She must be crazy!” Twilight found herself screaming, her words completely swallowed by the torrent of wind. She wasn’t sure if she should try to stop this or just duck and cover.

As she focused her light to track Rainbow Dash, everything suddenly broke. The tornado fell apart as fast as it has appeared and in an instant, Rainbow was no longer flying downwards, but falling to the ground. Fast.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called out. She frantically launched herself into the air in an attempt to reach her friend, but was unable to make any headway against the storm. With a sickening dread, she watched Rainbow plunge into the fields of snow outside of the mansion.

Even after five years of being an alicorn flying still wasn’t her strong suite, but Twilight summoned every scrap of strength, skill, and speed she had in order to make it over to where Rainbow had landed as quickly as possible

“Where is she…?” Twilight muttered, frantically scanning the snow below her as she struggled to stay aloft. “Rainbow Dash! If you can hear me, please say something!”

There was no response but the howling wind. Her heart caught in her throat as she happened to catch a few flecks of rapidly vanishing red in the snow below.

_Please, no..._

Following the trail she spotted it: a pony sized mound of snow. Lifting the snow with her telekinesis, she found the battered and broken form of Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash’s chest was streaked with red and her left wing was twisted at an unnatural angle, but a wave of relief washed over Twilight when she saw that her chest was still rising and falling.

_She’s still alive… I’m not too late._

Of course, all that could change in a heartbeat if she didn’t act quickly. She had studied both healing magic and first aid, but had no practical experience with either. The latter was far safer to use untrained, and she had no choice but to try. There were a few tricks she had read about that she could use to stabilize a pony, even without any supplies.

Enveloping both herself and Rainbow Dash in a telekinetic field, she lifted the pegasus while pulling out a large number of her own wing feathers, biting her lip as her eyes teared up from the pain. Quickly weaving the feathers into a makeshift poultice, she pressed it hard against Rainbow Dash to staunch the bleeding.

Of course, she couldn’t fly like this now, so she focused her energy on her hooves. Her step lightened enough so that she could walk on the snow while floating Rainbow Dash steadily behind her.

It was easy going at first, but each step soon became laborious. The wind peeled at her coat like it was trying to strip it all away, and the snow in her eyes made sight nearly impossible. Her constant use of magic was beginning to take its toll as well. Even as an alicorn princess whose special talent was magic, she had her limits, and the stress of everything certainly wasn’t doing her any favors.

She had to keep moving. She had to get inside and treat Rainbow Dash’s wounds properly. The normally tough as steel pegasus that floated behind her felt as weak as a newborn foal in her grasp. She could feel Rainbow’s faint heartbeat as her own worked double time, covering for both exhaustion and panic.

The magical energy that linked them suddenly felt like so much more. It was a tenuous connection to Dash’s life, an anchor holding down the last vestiges of Twilight’s sanity. She had to keep moving. _Just put one hoof in front of the other._

 _One hoof, in front of…_ With a yelp of surprise, Twilight’s next step found no footing underneath and she found herself tumbling forward. As fear raced through her heart, she pushed out with her magic even as she fell, attempting to keep Rainbow Dash from being pulled down with her.

Groaning, she slowly pushed herself back up, wincing as her body complained in protest. The ground under hooves was warm and soft. She must have tripped over the threshold where her shield had been previously holding back the storm.

Gingerly she pulled Rainbow Dash down from the sky, bringing her in close. Rainbow Dash whimpered softly, her body shivering underneath Twilight’s magic.

“It’s going to be okay Rainbow,” Twilight said, her teeth clenched as she struggled forward. “We’re almost there. I just need you to keep holding on, okay?”

She could finally see it up ahead now, the soft light of the mansion spilling out from the front door she had left open.

When she made it inside her legs threatened to give way beneath her, but just to the entry hall wasn’t far enough. She needed to get back to the study. She was sure she would find medical supplies there.

Rainbow Dash let out another pained whimper as Twilight began to ascend the stairs. The accumulated snow on Twilight’s fur was beginning to melt, and the returning warmth to her skin underneath felt like tiny daggers piercing into her flesh.

She passed by Rarity and Applejack on the way there, steeling her stomach and daring to take a glance. The couple was just as she’d left them, sleeping peacefully in the embrace of death. 

They would be together forever now, and Twilight was almost jealous. She wanted to go to them, to scream, to howl, to wail in rage at the cruelty of fate and the pony that had done this, but she had no tears left to shed.

She had to save Rainbow Dash.

Out of breath, she reached the door to the study and fumbled with the keys, pulling it open. The first thing she noticed was the gold trimmed letter sitting on the center desk. Fresh panic gripped her heart and her eyes swept the room frantically, looking for any hidden enemy waiting in the shadows.

When no threat presented itself, she carefully lowered Rainbow Dash to the floor by the fireplace, laying her on top of some cushions. Her chest rose and fell slowly, drawing ragged, pained breaths.

After carefully double checking the rest of the study for danger, Twilight gathered up the medical supplies she was hoping for and set to work in sterilizing and properly bandaging Rainbow Dash’s wounds. A ponyfeather poultice was really rather unsanitary, and should only be used in emergencies.

The cut in Rainbow’s side was long, but shallow. Twilight couldn’t tell exactly what had caused it. It might have been from an edged weapon of sorts, but it was hard to see how something like that would have struck her in the air. She could also have been caught on a particularly sharp ice crystal or rock during her landing.

It was grueling work, and her own exhaustion still called to her, but over the course of an hour she managed to stitch Rainbow’s wound rather crudely, and set her broken wing into a splint. 

Any medical professional would have been disgusted at her handiwork. All Twilight knew was the theory, and she had never had a chance to put these skills into use. Even untrained, Rarity probably could’ve handled the needlework better, and Fluttershy was used to patching up wounded animals on a regular basis.

 _You did what you could… it’s up to Rainbow Dash now._ Reaching out, Rainbow Dash was warm under her hoof. _She must already be running a fever_. Unfortunately, the basic medical supplies she had found had not included antibiotics.

Standing up even as her legs protested, she wondered if she could find the necessary components to synthesize some in here. That would probably be too much of a stretch, but it’s not like she had anything better to do. Before she could even begin the search, however, her eyes fell upon the new letter waiting on the table.

“I guess I’m supposed to read that,” Twilight muttered out loud. Was how this one got in here just as much of a mystery as the previous letter? As she reached for the letter, she realized her mistake. She had forgotten to reset her alarm spell when she last left. So, anypony with the key could’ve simply walked on in. And who knew how many copies of the key there were, or who all had them?

Unlike the arrogant taunting found in the first letter, this one was short and simple, printed on the same stationary with the same neat handwriting.

“Meet me in the entrance hall at midnight.”

So that was it, huh? She would finally get the confrontation she wanted. It had only cost her the lives of most of her friends to do so. She didn’t even have the energy to summon up the righteous rage or thirst for justice she knew would be appropriate right now. All she could do was laugh softly, her eyes glistening with tears she no longer had the strength to shed.

Twilight glanced over to the clock. It looked like she still had a few hours before midnight. Enough time to make sure Rainbow Dash would stay stable, at least. It was most certainly a trap, and the board was no longer in her favor. But what other options did she have at this point?

Twilight moved back over to Rainbow Dash’s side. The pegasus was shivering, despite her proximity to the fire. After taking the time to drape a blanket over her, Twilight settled down next to Rainbow Dash on a pair of cushions. As soon as she felt herself get comfortable, the exhaustion she’d been holding off crashed into her full force, threatening to pull her under.

_Not yet… I have too…_

* * *

Twilight opened her eyes, groaning slightly as the burning sensation in her exhausted muscles reasserted itself. Yawning, she reached up with a hoof and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. How long had she been asleep?

“Rainbow Dash!” she cried out, jumping into the air and looking around frantically. She stumbled slightly, the sudden movement causing the blood to rush to her head and a wave of dizziness washed over her.

As she struggled to regain her bearings, she felt movement by her side, and a faint groan. Rainbow Dash was still alive.

After taking a few moments to steady her breathing and calm her nerves, Twilight knelt down next to her friend, placing a hoof on her forehead. She was still burning up, and her skin looked pale under her fur.

Twilight went to the bathroom to get a cup of water, pausing to check the time as she did so. Half an hour till midnight. She hadn’t slept through her appointment after all.

“Here Rainbow Dash. You need to drink this. Easy now…” Twilight cradled Dash’s head with her telekinesis, slowly bringing the cup to her lips and coaxing the feverish pegasus to drink. 

Rainbow coughed and sputtered slightly, but greedily swallowed the rest of the offered water. “Twilight…” Rainbow mumbled, her voice a croaking whisper. “Mmm’sorry.”

“Ssshh. It’ll be okay.” Twilight ran her hoof through Rainbow’s mane, stroking it in the same way her mother used to do for her when she was sick. “You just need to rest. I have to go do something real quick, okay? But I promise I’ll be back, and when I do, this will all be over.”

Twilight got up to leave, but paused when she heard Rainbow Dash call out again, her voice faint. “Be careful.”

Fifteen minutes to go. It wouldn’t hurt to arrive a little early, right? Exiting the study, and making sure to re-ward the door as strongly as she could, she teleported to the entrance hall.

The room was empty, the soft lamplight casting shadows across the portrait of her nemesis while the storm outside raged against the windows.

She had no idea what she was truly up against, and had to be ready for anything. But as she stared at the portrait on the wall, that offending face seemed to twist into a leering grin under the shadows, and her blood began to boil with an all too welcome rage.

Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Applejack. Rarity. Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. Rainbow Dash. She was here and ready to fight. For all of their sakes, and for her own. To get revenge. To get answers. To get justice.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she clenched her teeth, the adrenaline rushing through her veins erasing her earlier fatigue. “Well? I’m here now, Golden Wish! I don’t know why you’ve done this. Why you’ve killed my friends. What you want with me. But you’ve succeeded. You wanted me. Now come and get me!”

Her voice reverberated throughout the mansion, amplified by both her magic and her anger. With a snarl, she focused her magic on the painting before her, tearing it from its hangings with ease and pulling it down to float in front of her.

With a simple flick of her horn, the painting crumpled into a pretzel; splinters of wood and shreds of canvas raining down in front of her. Another change of focus and the mangled artwork burst into flame, burning blindingly hot for just a few seconds until only ash remained.

“Come out! Stop hiding and face me!” Twilight howled at the top of her lungs. Muttering a stronger incantation under her breath, a corona of arcane energy circled around her horn, eventually extending outwards and collapsing into a large purple orb.

The loud gong of a grandfather clock striking twelve echoed from somewhere in the distance, and Twilight fired. The orb exploded and sent a hundred lances of arcane light shooting out in every direction. The energy ripped through the mansion, through walls, ceilings, and support beams alike. As the light faded, the building groaned in protest as a chill draft seeped in through the new holes.

The clock chimed a second time, and the world around her seemed to shift. The ground itself seemed to shake, and the air seemed unbearably hot all of a sudden. Was this her counterattack?

She quickly cast a shield around herself, preparing to defend against a direct magical assault. Instead, the air only seemed to get hotter, and Twilight struggled to breathe as the air began to shimmer around her with heat. The clock chimed a third time.

This wasn’t directed at her, but the whole mansion? She had used an area of effect spell herself, but something on this scale…

Twilight fought to stay standing as she fell into a coughing fit. The walls and floors seemed to be glowing with an intense red, and her vision swam as she looked around for any sign of her attacker. Flickers of light began to fall from the shining walls, embers dancing through the room like thousands of tiny golden butterflies.

The clock chimed a fourth time.

Even with the roar of the earth below her, the air rushing around her, and fierce crackling of flames, she heard it. Hoofsteps. Somepony was coming after all. Twilight struggled to rise, but her knees buckled under the immense pressure of the firestorm engulfing the mansion.

The clock chimed for a fifth time, the note turning sour as it too was warped by the flames.

She could just barely see it. The shadow of somepony walking down the stairs. Smoke and pain and golden butterflies of fire obscured her vision, but she had her target. She heard a voice, but could not make out any words.

Summoning every last ounce of strength she had left, Twilight fired a blast of magical energy at the pony that stood before her. The clocked chimed a sixth and final time. Twilight felt fire, pain, and then nothing.

* * *

The storm passed, and the leaden clouds that had enshrouded the mountains for so long cleared away. Sun shone down on the valley and the snow began to melt, the harsh blizzard almost forgotten.

It would take some time yet for everything to fully thaw, but life would return to the valley soon, birds filling the air with song.

Princess Cadence and Shining armor arrived soon afterwards, and were horrified with what they found. Sifting through the burnt ruins, they discovered the remains of some of their closest friends and their dear sibling, although too much had burned away to make a positive identification for everypony.

In the end, they were forced to conclude that everypony who had been at the mansion during those two days was gone forever.

How gruesome had the game of Golden Wish been? Of those who knew of what transpired, only ash remained. Those who came after the story was over had no hope of understanding. They could only imagine what sort of nightmare had befallen the mansion’s visitors.

However, the mistress of the mansion was fickle, and a scrap of information remained that allowed for a glimmer of truth.

A year later, construction had begun on a memorial for the victims of what was then known as “The Princess Massacre”. While clearing the ruins, a worker dug up a small lockbox. Inside was stack of neatly written letters, the pages of which contained an account of the tragedy that had shaken Equestria to its foundation.

“By the time you read this, I will probably be dead. Whoever you are, you must find out the truth. That’s all I want.

-Rainbow Dash”

* * *

Twilight stared down at the final page of the book, her mouth hanging open in shock. Numbly, she lifted the book upside down and shook it as if she expected extra pages to fall out.

“Is… this it?” Twilight asked, turning to Fluttershy. She was biting her hooves and trembling, and she flinched from the intensity of Twilight’s gaze before nodding softly.

Twilight turned back to the book, reading the final page again. After everything she had been through this afternoon... _This_ was how it all ended?

“So, um, whatdidyouthink?” Fluttershy squeaked, her voice cracking in a hoarse whisper.

Twilight turned back to Fluttershy and stared at her blankly. A thousand possible responses flickered through her mind. A voice in the back of her head screamed at her to lie, to keep lying until Applejack passed out from shock.

Twilight’s right eye twitched slightly, and she spoke. “You know, Fluttershy, traditionally mystery novels end with the detective solving the mystery and bringing the culprit to justice.”

Fluttershy swallowed, closing her eyes and wetting her throat before responding. “I know that…”

“So when a story doesn’t end like that, and in fact really doesn’t have much of a mystery to solve in the first place, it’s actually more of a slasher-horror where all of us get murdered horribly,” Twilight said, unable to keep the rising anger from her voice.

“That’s not…” Fluttershy paused, looking down and fidgeting before looking back up to Twilight with a pleading expression. “There’s still a mystery, and you can solve it… You-you, I mean. Not the you in the book.”

Twilight barked a short, harsh laugh. “Mystery? As if. The evil alicorn, Golden Wish, horribly murdered us all with a spectacular display of rule breaking magic. Case closed! Reaaal engaging villain you created there, by the way. A tragic back-story, a single taunting letter, and a shadowy appearance at the end? Character of the year!”

Fluttershy flinched back, her eyes starting to glisten with tears. “I didn’t… I thought you…” Sniffling slightly, she wiped her eyes with a hoof. “I thought you were really good at mysteries, Twilight.”

“Oh, am I now? Well, I guess you were wrong, Fluttershy! Why don’t you go ahead and enlighten me on the _genius_ solution I’m missing here? Just go ahead and spoil it, I don’t mind,” Twilight said, her voice dripping with venom.

“No!” Fluttershy shouted, pulling herself up and looking Twilight in the eyes fiercely. “You have to figure it out on your own!”

Twilight’s mouth fell open at the sudden outburst, but quickly recovered from the shock and growled, leaning forward and bearing down on the pegasus before her.

“You want to know what I think? Fine! I think your subplot with Applejack and Rarity came out of nowhere, was missing a lot of buildup, and the conclusion for it was vague and unsatisfying. Also, it was creepy. Those are our friends, Fluttershy.”

Twilight pushed forward, Fluttershy shrinking away from the fire in her eyes. “I have absolutely no idea what you were trying to do with Celestia and Luna. They barely had any visible presence in the story, and the narrative practically forgot about them entirely in the last quarter.”

Pulling back as Fluttershy cowered before her, Twilight spun around and began to walk through the library. “And maybe if it wasn’t obvious enough already, as a reader I don’t particularly enjoy dark stories to begin with, but especially not when I have to read about my closest friends in all of Equestria getting murdered, and I have to read through the eyes of a me who’s absolutely devastated by it.

“But perhaps most importantly of all, I want to know…” Twilight stopped walking, her back to Fluttershy as she took a deep breath before whirling around.

“Where. Is. My. HAPPY. ENDING!?” Her eyes glistening with tears, Twilight punctuated each word with a stomp of her hooves, her voice thundering throughout the library as several books fell to the floor.

Her words hung in the air, the silence only broken up a soft sobbing.

“I’m sorry for wasting your time, Twilight,” Fluttershy mumbled, shakily rising to her hooves and moving towards the door.

A sharp pain stabbed through Twilight’s heart and she froze, the realization of how worked up she had gotten finally dawning on her. To make matters worse, she looked up to see Spike standing in the open doorway, his mouth hanging down to the floor.”

“Wait, Fluttershy, I didn’t mean…” Twilight reached out a hoof ineffectually at the retreating pegasus. After all that, what could she possibly say?

“H-hey, Spike,” Fluttershy mumbled weakly, wiping at her eyes. “Take good care of Twilight, okay? I think I hurt her pretty bad.”

With a choking sob, Fluttershy galloped out the door, tears trailing behind her as she ran away.

After a long moment of silence, Spike finally spoke up. “Wow, Twilight. Of all of our friends I’d ever expected you to blow up on like that, I never thought it would be Fluttershy.”

“I…” Twilight mumbled, her cheeks burning. What had she done? Even if her reasons were justified, that was way too excessive. Especially for Fluttershy. What kind of friend was she?

“So… are you going to go after her?” Spike asked, moving inside and setting his bags on the floor.

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. It would be the right thing to do. It was what a good friend would do. She should go apologize and make amends.

But she was still so _angry_. Reading that had honestly hurt, and the wound was still too fresh. 

Twilight shook her head. “I’m sorry, Spike. I guess this is all a little out of context for you, but… I can’t. Not right now. I think both of us need some time to cool off before we can work this out.”

Spike raised an eyebrow, looking Twilight up and down before he shrugged and closed the door behind him. “If you say so. Just what was all that about anyway?”

Twilight glanced down at the book, discarded on the floor. Fluttershy hadn’t taken it with her. “It’s…. a long story. And one that should probably stay between the two of us.”

“Aww, come on Twilight! How come I never get to hear the juicy drama, huh?” Spike asked, pouting.

Twilight turned and fixed Spike with a fierce glare and he turned away, blushing. “Eheh, right. Sorry, Twilight. I guess this isn’t a joke to you. Hey, are you hungry?”

Her stomach growling on cue, Twilight nodded. Maybe a good meal would help her calm down a bit.

* * *

That evening, Twilight was well fed and had calmed down considerably. She had already begun mentally composing a complex apology, though it was difficult. She didn’t really understand where Fluttershy was coming from with all this, and she knew that until she did, it would be difficult to put everything behind them.

But something was bugging her.

Even as she filled herself with busy work to help clear her head and organize her thoughts in the same way she organized her books, there was a persistent nagging in the back of her mind that just wouldn’t go away.

She looked over her shoulder at Fluttershy’s book with a sigh. _Why did Fluttershy write this? Why is she s_ _o invested in my opinion on it? And why did I get so angry when I was disappointed with the ending?_

She knew the answer to the last question, at least. Had Fluttershy written a regular novel, no matter how crappy the ending had been, Twilight could have handled her critique with grace and tact. 

Except Fluttershy’s narrative was personal. It was about her. And she had been pulled into the story, whether she liked it or not. Twilight’s struggles were her struggles, and when her struggle was left unresolved, it struck a nerve. 

And there was something else, too.

It was in something that Fluttershy had said. That there was a mystery here, that it was solvable, and that she, not the Twilight in the book, was supposed to solve it.

She just couldn’t connect the threads, but… The idea that there was a puzzle here, staring her in the face and taunting her incompetence was slowly becoming maddening. Had she simply missed something? Some vital clue that pulls everything together?

“I’m going to bed,” Spike said, yawning. “G’night, Twilight. Try not to stay up too late.”

“Good night, Spike,” Twilight said absentmindedly. Her attention was still focused on the book. It just didn’t make any sense to her, but…

Cursing her insatiable curiosity, Twilight levitated the book over and opened up to the first page. “Princess Twilight Sparkle…”


	10. Tea Party

“Here you go, Twilight. I brought some more tea for you.”

Fluttershy leaned over, pouring tea into Twilight’s cup.

_What?_

 

“Um, thanks Fluttershy. It smells really good,” Twilight said, smiling. Fluttershy beamed back at her, and began moving around the mansion’s lounge in order to fill the cups of everypony else.

“Aww, come on, tea? I mean it’s okay, I guess, but if you’ve got any cider could I have that instead?” Rainbow Dash asked, glaring at her teacup as if it might bite her.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Oh come now, darling. There is a certain aesthetic synergy in having a tea party, you know, and the atmosphere would be completely ruined if you just sat there guzzling cider by the mug.”

Pinkie Pie sipped at her tea carefully and steadily before setting it down on the table in front of her and immediately bounced up into the air. “Yeah, come on Dashie! A tea party’s not a party-party! Although I guess it could be, but then it wouldn’t really be a tea party, but a party that happens to have tea. If you like we can throw a party that happens to have tea after the tea party? Or maybe just a party-party that has cider!”

Rainbow Dash growled, grabbing the teacup roughly and downing it in one gulp. “Fine, we’ll just do this!”

Applejack chuckled heartily, clapping Rainbow Dash on the back. “Aw come on, it ain’t so bad. Took me a while to get used to, and still ain’t really my scene besides, but after that adventure we all just went through, something like this sure is nice.”

“Mmmm. My thoughts exactly,” Rarity said, leaning over and nuzzling Applejack softly.

“Oh man, that was so much fun!” Pinkie Pie said, grinning from ear to ear. “I just wish I got to play a bigger part. You win some, you lose some, I guess.”

Applejack tipped her hat. “There’s always next time, Pinkie. So who do y’all think is the murderer?”

“Wait... what?” Twilight said, suddenly looking up from her tea. “What are you talking about?”

“Oooh! I know, I know! Pick me!” Pinkie Pie bounced around, shouting and waving her arms.

“Oh, this is going to be good,” Rainbow Dash said as she rolled her eyes. “Well, go on, Pinkie, who do you think is the murderer?”

“Drumroll, please!” Pinkie Pie called out, pulling out a drum from somewhere. “The murderer – Or should I say, _murderers_ are…

“Those two pegasus guards that accompanied Twilight in the beginning!”

There was a brief pause before everypony except Twilight burst into laughter. “Are you kidding me, Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash asked, snorting and trying to stay seated. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Really now, Pinkie, did those two even get names?” Applejack asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

“I dunno!” Pinkie Pie said cheerily, causing Applejack to cover her face with her hoof.

“Yeah, whatever. If those two mooks turned out to be the culprit it would be a totally lame solution,” Rainbow Dash said, waving a forehoof dismissively. “Besides, I’ve got a better answer.”

Twilight stared at her friends, completely dumbfounded. None of this made sense. Why did her head hurt? It was so hard to think straight…

“I bet the culprit was…” Rainbow Dash paused for dramatic effect.

“Fluttershy!” she yelled and leapt forward, tackling Fluttershy to the ground and grinning wickedly.

Fluttershy yelped and cowered underneath Rainbow Dash, sputtering. “W-what, I…”

“You fer real?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Come on, it totally makes sense! She’s always the cute, innocent, and shy one! I could totally picture her having a crazy psychotic side that goes around murdering everypony!”

“B-but, I don’t…” Fluttershy mumbled weakly, her protests ignored.

“Like yer one to talk,” Applejack snorted derisively. “You were actin’ mighty suspicious the whole time, Rainbow. How do we know you didn’t do it?”

“Me!?” Rainbow Dash yelled, choking on her words. She wheeled around and flew over to Applejack, butting heads with her. “YOU’RE the one who had some horrible, dark secret you were keeping from your fiancé which was enough to cause her to dump you!”

Applejack growled, pushing her weight against Rainbow Dash. “That’s between me and her, and ain’t none of your business besides.”

“How can you both…” Twilight muttered weakly, trying to fight through the heavy fog in her mind as the two glared daggers at each other.

Rarity cleared her throat loudly before puffing her hair up and posing. “Excuse me, but I think you two might be forgetting a certain somepony who was perfectly capable of murdering the rest of you?”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked over at her, then back at each other before they both burst out laughing, rolling around on the floor.

“You, the murderer?” Rainbow Dash said, barely able to speak through the fits of laughter.

“Sorry, hun, but that’s rich.” Applejack said, grinning widely.

Rarity puffed up, her cheeks turning red as she glowered at the two below her. “How dare you! I am just as capable as anypony here of committing such vile deeds! The methods of murder were, for the most part, pretty elegant, you know. And I’ve got a unique advantage! Magic makes committing such crimes so much easier, don’t you think? Especially with all those locked rooms. Who else but a unicorn could bypass a chain lock without breaking it?” Rarity tapped her horn for emphasis.

This was insane, right? This setting, what they were talking about… it was from Fluttershy’s novel. So why was she…?

“Orrrr maaaaaybe,” Pinkie Pie said in a slow drawl. “It was meeeeee.” They all turned to look at Pinkie Pie. Her mane had gone straight and her eyes shifted in different directions crazily as she brandished a paring knife.

Applejack rolled her eyes as she got up off the ground and took her seat again. “You died at the beginning, Pinkie.” Glancing over at Rainbow Dash, she added, “Fluttershy too, for that matter.”

“Oh yeah!” Pinkie Pie said, her mane immediately bouncing back to its normal curls. “Whoops!”

Rarity sighed, still feeling indignant that she was being dismissed but unable to maintain that attitude for long in front of Pinkie Pie. “Well, I suppose that we’ve got a lot of options. Speaking of Fluttershy, who do you think did it, darling?”

“Oh, me?” Fluttershy blushed, looking away. “I don’t know. I don’t really want to say. It would be, um, rude.”

“It’s okay, dear Fluttershy,” a regal voice said as the door to the lounge opened. “You can say what’s on your mind, I won’t be offended.”

“Princess Celestia! And Princess Luna,” they all called out as the two alicorns entered the room.

“Aw shucks,” Applejack said as she took her hat off. “Hadn’t really gotten a chance to see you two, so I’d almost forgotten you were here.”

“It is no worry, my little ponies,” Celestia said as she ducked into the room. “If you don’t mind, a cup of tea please?”

Twilight stared at Princess Celestia and Luna. Something felt off, even about them.

Luna jumped into the center of the room, spinning around and grinning as she spread her wings theatrically. “‘Tis not exactly an uncommon scenario. There are many stories out there that depict mine dearest sister as a murderous tyrant. I, the heroic and neglected younger sibling dare to stand up to her! But alas, I am slain and my horn is cast aside as a trophy in retaliation!”

Celestia sipped at her tea, smiling softly as she watched her sister gesticulate wildly.

“Or perhaps it was you, Twilight Sparkle!” Luna shouted, pointing a hoof accusingly. “This mayhaps be a story of your descent into madness, of a split personality or doppelganger!”

Well, she certainly felt pretty insane right now.

“Don’t be silly!” Pinkie Pie said, raising her forehooves above her head and making an ‘X’. “The detective isn’t allowed to be the culprit. That’s just cheating!”

Luna blushed slightly, pulling back. “Ah. My apologies. I was not fully aware of the rules.”

“Hmm, well maybe it was…”

“It’s possible, but I think a better option is…”

“I think you might be on to something with that one, but does it really…”

“The murderer could be…”

“The murderer…”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight screamed, grabbing everypony’s teacups with telekinesis and smashing them on the ground. “What is wrong with all of you!?”

Rarity stared down at her shattered teacup distastefully before sighing and kneading her temple with a hoof. “Twilight, darling, if you have a theory of your own, we’d be more than happy to hear it, but going around breaking things is just –”

“How…” Twilight flinched back, clutching her forehead with her hoof. It was so hard to think straight. “How can you all just sit around here casually talking about your murders? You’re dead! You’re all supposed to be dead. So am I. But you’re all just sitting here, accusing each other like its nothing.”

She was supposed to be dead? This... wasn’t right. That was the fictional Twilight. These were the fictional versions of her friends. So why was she…?

“Besides…” Twilight said, lowering her head and keeping her eyes closed. “We already know who the killer is. The pony named Golden Wish, whoever she is. She admitted as much herself. I… just wasn’t able to stop her. I’m sorry.”

Twilight stood there with her head down, waiting for a response. None came, and she realized an unnatural silence had fallen over the room

As Twilight raised her gaze a silent scream caught in her throat.

Everypony was dead. Just like they had been before. Just like she had read in the book. Pinkie Pie lay smiling, her throat cut. Applejack and Rarity snuggled close in a pool of blood. Luna’s horn lay discarded on the table. Princess Celestia and Rainbow Dash were simply gone. And Fluttershy…

She heard a wet dripping sound from behind her where Fluttershy had been sitting.

She couldn’t bring herself to turn around.

The world shifted around her, the room suddenly awash in flame. The choking smoke invaded her senses, and the oppressive heat made her muddled mind sink even deeper into confusion.

Tiny embers began to flake from the inferno, the motes of light swirling together in the center of the room and coalescing into the shape of a pony.

“Well then, Twilight Sparkle,” a voice rang out, reverberating around the room. “You wanted a confrontation with me so badly. So here I am.”

As the figure extended her wings, there was a pulse of energy and the room around her vanished, flames and all. She was merely floating in a dark void, her senses dimming further.

As she struggled to regain her balance, Twilight stared up at the alicorn towering over her. Golden Wish looked exactly like Twilight had pictured her. Her sleek golden fur, her short cropped lavender bob, and scales running down her back.

“You... killed my friends,” Twilight growled weakly. She tried to fire up her horn, but no magic came to her, her sense of clarity still slipping in and out.

Golden Wish merely threw back her head and laughed, cackling maniacally. “You don’t have what it takes to destroy me, Princess. You are too arrogant, too blind to the truths that surround you.”

“No,” Twilight whimpered, feebly trying to protest as her vision dimmed further. “This is all just a trick… I’ll never give up.”

Golden Wish smirked as Twilight’s mind slipped back into darkness.

“A trick without an explanation is no different than the truth.”


	11. ???

“You there… yes, **you.** You certainly seem like an interesting one. Perhaps you will provide me with some entertainment after all.

“You seek the truth… but the truth is a fickle and dangerous thing. When you reach inside and tear out the guts, you see all there is to see, in all of its terrible and ugly glory.

“Can you prevail against all odds? Will you reach your desired happy ending? Truly, it would take a miracle. If you find the answers you seek, will you be happy with them? Or will it only cause you pain?

“I am Infinite Miracle. As long as the probability of something happening is greater than zero, I can make it happen without fail.

“I’ve decided to lend you my aid. It looks like your future will be very entertaining, and boredom is poison to someone like me. So try your best to weave a compelling narrative, okay? I can become quite cruel if you bore me.

“If you want to succeed, keep digging and digging. Dismantle this story to the very atom, tear out its insides and analyze them harshly. If you hold back for the sake of kindness, the pain endured will only magnify. Harsh truths should bathe in harsh sunlight.

“As a token of my good faith, I will lend you a fraction of my power. These formidable weapons will help you in what will come.

“PZ1.K775 Bd”


	12. Chapter 9 - Reconciliation

Twilight woke up, gasping for air. She struggled fervently as panic gripped her heart, her limbs getting tangled in the bedsheets and —

_It was just a nightmare._

With a shuddering gasp Twilight fell still and allowed her racing heart to settle down. She was safe, in her bed. None of what she had witnessed was real.

After taking several deep breaths, she let out a long yawn and pushed her sweat soaked sheets aside as she got out of bed. It was certainly an effective nightmare. She felt exhausted, like she had barely gotten any rest at all. _I suppose that’s what I get for reading until I fell asleep._

Reading about that stuff was one thing, but actually experiencing it, even in a dream… No. She shouldn’t dwell on it too much. The memory would probably pass in a few hours.

There had been something else though, at the end. A voice... and a string of numbers?

Pulling a parchment and quill from her bedside drawer, Twilight wrote down the letters and numbers still burned into her memory. They looked familiar somehow, but she couldn’t quite place it.

She yawned again and stretched before looking at her disheveled form in the mirror. The dark circles around her eyes and the unkempt state of her mane reflected exactly how she felt.

After making a few silly faces at herself, Twilight let out a sigh as the full memory of what all had transpired yesterday came back to her.

“This is going to be a long day,” she grumbled as she shuffled towards the bedroom door.

* * *

“Hey, Twilight. You feeling alright?”

Twilight groaned in response as she slumped over the kitchen table, watching Spike make breakfast out of the corner of her eye.

“Well, my mighty dragon breakfast special ought to give you some energy!” Spike said, turning and flashing Twilight a winning smile, before it fell to a more concerned expression. “But seriously… I know you’re not much for mornings, but this Fluttershy thing must be pretty bad.”

“It’s…” Twilight paused, closing her eyes and allowing the smell of breakfast to clear her head before continuing. “That smells really good, Spike. But this situation is pretty complicated. There’s probably a lesson about friendship in here somewhere, though I haven’t quite figured it out yet.”

“Do you need me to write up a letter?” Spike asked, smirking.

Twilight laughed, pushing herself up from the table and stretching her neck. “No, that won’t be necessary. At least not yet anyway.”

Glancing down at the paper on the table, she levitated it over to where Spike was cooking. “Hey, does this mean anything to you?”

Spike pulled away from the pot he was stirring and stared at the paper, scratching his chin. “Hmm… Isn’t this some kind of library thing?”

A library thing? It didn’t seem like…

Twilight pulled the paper back, reciting the string out loud. “PZ1.K775 Bd…”

Realization flashed in Twilight’s mind, and she smacked herself in the face over how obvious it was. “Of course! This is a book classification for the Library of Celestia! It’s a very particular sorting method meant for large collections of books, but it’s generally only used in academic libraries.”

Spike looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. “So you’re looking for a book we don’t have?”

“I’m not sure!” Twilight said excitedly. She got up and trotted over to the bookshelf and began scanning back and forth, her earlier lethargy forgotten. “I don’t know what this code refers to specifically, but we have a reference guide for that system here somewhere.”

“Is Fluttershy giving you really obscure books to look up or something?” Spike asked.

“Huh? No, nothing like that,” Twilight said, finding the guide she was looking for and beginning to page through it. “Actually, I was told to look up this book in a dream.”

Spike stared at her, blankly. “You’re receiving book recommendations in your dreams now? What’s next, sleep reading?”

Sleep reading? If only she could be that productive. Maybe she should have a chat with Luna.

Twilight matched the code to a book and, with delight, realized it was one they had here in the library. After a minute of searching, she found it and pulled the dusty tome off the shelves.

“’A Treatise on Mysteries,’ by Roan A. Knocks,” Twilight announced, holding the book up proudly.

“A mystery novel?” Spike asked. “Isn’t that one almost a century old?”

“It’s not so much a mystery _novel_ as it is a collection of essays on the various facets of the mystery genre as a whole, including a somewhat famous set of ‘rules’ mystery authors should follow,” Twilight explained. This would be perfect for Fluttershy.

As glad as she was for this discovery, the circumstances surrounding it were weird. Was her subconscious trying to show her a way to make peace with her friend?

“Ooookay then,” Spike said, rolling his eyes. “Only you could get excited about something like that, Twilight. Anyway, breakfast is ready.”

Twilight’s heart fluttered as she ate. Not only had she found this book, but Spike was wrong. For once, she might not be the only pony who cared about something like this. Fluttershy had taken her first steps into the wide world of literature. Okay, maybe the attempt had ended in a total disaster, and that would usually be enough to scare Fluttershy away from something new, but if Twilight could handle it right, she might be able to coax her newfound interest into something greater.

All she had to do was go see Fluttershy, apologize profusely, and they could put the whole thing behind them.

Twilight’s face scrunched up as images of Fluttershy flickered through her mind. Her determination about the mystery, and her heartbreak as Twilight had vented her frustrations on her. Sure, it might be possible to forget about this whole thing and pretend it never happened. But Twilight had a feeling that Fluttershy was hoping for something more.

She had re-read the entire novel last night, but wasn’t any closer to solving the mystery. There were some things she hadn’t noticed at first that she caught the second time around, but nothing definitive. Still, she had to move forward and do the best she could. For Fluttershy’s sake.

“Uh, does it taste okay, Twilight?” Spike asked, a worried look on his face. “You look like something bit your tongue.”

Twilight swallowed her food, blushing slightly. “Sorry, Spike. It’s delicious. I just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

Spike frowned, nodding as he drummed his claws on the table. “If you say so, Twilight. So what are your plans then?”

“Well…” Twilight said as she levitated her empty plate to the sink. “I plan to stop by the market to pick up a few things first, but after that I need to go to Fluttershy’s and apologize. I just hope she’ll give me the chance.”

“Uhhuh,” Spike said, crossing his arms and looking Twilight up and down. “Well, good luck.”

Twilight let out a sigh. “Thanks. I’m probably going to need it.”

* * *

Twilight walked through the Ponyville market with a satchel slung over her shoulder, soaking in the warm sunlight and the thrum of the ponies around her. As ragged as she felt both physically and mentally, the life and energy of the quiet little village she called home always had a rejuvenating effect on her.

“Hey, you there! The purple one with the wings and the horn! Over here!”

Twilight frowned as the unfamiliar voice called out to her and snapped her out of her reverie. She glanced around the market, trying to find out who it belonged to. Eventually she saw a light pink unicorn mare with a blond mane waving at her frantically from behind a stall.

Twilight trotted over to the stall in question. “Um… can I help you?” It wasn’t a stall or a pony she recognized, and a sloppily written banner spelled out, “We’re _Absolutely Certain_ you’ll be satisfied!”

“Hiya! You must be that new princess I’ve heard so much about. I’m Absolute Certainty. Welcome to my candy shop!” she said, bowing slightly and tipping her pink beret.

Twilight grimaced inwardly, keeping her face a smiling mask. “Hi there, nice to meet you! I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle. I don’t think we’ve met before, so if you’re new here, then welcome to Ponyville!” She took a quick glance at Certainty’s cutie mark. It appeared to be an image of a solar system, except the stars and the planets were made out of candy.

“My candies are perfect if you or someone you know is feeling down. All of them exquisitely crafted by yours truly,” Certainty said, beaming with pride. “I put my heart and soul into everything I create!”

Twilight nodded politely at the sales pitch, idly scanning the shelves. She supposed it would be best if she went ahead and bought something. It’s not like candy would be unwelcome.

Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes fell upon the grisly display on the bottom shelf. “What is…?”

“Do you like it?” Certainty asked, grinning widely. “Those are my specially made bone-marzipan, gummy brains, and cotton candy gore!”

“This is, uh…” Twilight paused, trying to find a tactful thing to say as she looked over the gruesome candies. “Um, I’m pretty sure Nightmare Night isn’t for another four months…”

“Ponies should be able to enjoy gruesomely mundane spectacles any day of the year, if you ask me! Kind of makes you contemplate you own mortality and the fragility of life, don’t you think?” Certainty leaned forward, getting uncomfortably close to Twilight as she grinned wildly, a manic glint in her eyes.

Twilight was reminded of Pinkie Pie somewhat, but this pony came off a bit creepy rather than warm and full of smiles. “Uh, that’s definitely an interesting way of looking at things.”

Certainty pulled back and lowered her head. Her beret slipped down and pushed her short blonde mane into her eyes as she looked up at Twilight, pouting. “Nobody else seems to think so. I never sell any of them. Do you have any idea how much work it is to get the texture right on the brains?”

Twilight fought to keep her expression neutral. She was being played, she could feel it. “I guess I’ll take a couple of them.”

“That’s wonderful,” Certainty said, bouncing up. She levitated a number of the candies into a bag and wrapped it up, closing it with a ribbon and a pumpkin sticker. “That’ll be seven bits. And remember. If you desire something with absolute certainty, than come to Absolute Certainty!”

Twilight paid for the candies and bowed, leaving quickly. Maybe Spike would get a kick out of these.

* * *

Applejack finished lifting the last of the boxes onto the cart, wiping the sweat from her brow. "That oughta do it.”

"I cannot thank you enough for lending me a hoof with this, darling," Rarity said, telekinetically attaching the cart's harness to Applejack. "I try not to order in bulk very often, but these materials came at a great bargain."

"Ain't no sweat, Rar," Applejack said, grunting as she began to pull the heavy cart down the road. "Anything fer a friend."

The two of them walked side by side in silence for awhile, until Applejack noticed a familiar purple princess meandering through the crowd.

"Hey, Twilight!" Applejack called out with a wave. "How're you doin’?"

"Oh, hey!" Twilight brightened as she saw who it was, and waved back enthusiastically before trotting over. "Hi Applejack! And hi... Rarity?"

Twilight stopped, her mouth working soundlessly as she glanced between the two of them. Her face slowly turned beet red. "W-what are you two doing here? Together?"

Rarity raised an eyebrow, glancing at Applejack. "She's just helping me move some goods to the boutique."

Twilight stared at them blankly, still blushing before the words finally reached her and she jumped up, forcing a smile that was way too wide. "Ehehe... Just delivering goods! Of course, what else would it be..."

Applejack and Rarity shared another glance before looking back to Twilight, concerned. "Uh, sugarcube? You feelin' alright? No offense, but you're looking a bit run down."

"Me? Nope! I'm fine! Definitely, totally fine. I just happened to bump into two of my best friends in the marketplace. Together. Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Twilight backed away, gesticulating wildly as she spoke.

"Twilight, darling," Rarity said, fixing Twilight with a stern glare. "We know you well enough by now that we can tell when something is up. If you can't talk about it for whatever reason that's understandable, but don't pretend that everything is 'fine' when it clearly isn't."

"I..." Twilight let out a sigh, lowering her head. "You're right. I'm sorry. I can't really give you the details, but I kind of got into a fight with Fluttershy. I'm on my way to apologize to her right now."

Rarity hissed sharply, pursing her lips while Applejack stared blankly, blinking several times before letting out a low whistle.

"Shoot. Never expected that answer. You need help with anything? We all know how delicate Fluttershy can be."

Twilight shook her head. “No… I think this is something I have to handle on my own.”

“This… ‘fight’ you had,” Rarity said, glancing about before leaning in close and speaking with a low whisper. “Just what was it about, exactly?”

“It’s… complicated,” Twilight said. “I really shouldn’t get into details, but let’s just say I rather explicitly disliked a book Fluttershy obviously cared a lot about. I may have gone a little overboard in expressing my opinion.”

Rarity blinked, taken aback. “A… book? I see. Well, uh, good luck, Twilight. Do let me know if you need any assistance with this matter, will you?”

“Thanks, Rarity. I’ll do my best.” Twilight smiled, nodding to both mares. “I’d better get going. You two, um…” Twilight looked away, her blush returning. “Uh, have fun… helping each other.”

Turning away, Twilight practically galloped down the road.

After watching Twilight disappear into the distance, Applejack took off her hat, scratching her head. “Just what in tarnation was that all about?”

Rarity shook her head and clicked her tongue. “I have a bad feeling about this. Whenever Twilight gets into one of her ‘odd’ moods, nopony can predict what’s going to happen. I do hope Fluttershy will be alright, but it’s not our place to interfere.”

Applejack turned to her and raised an eyebrow, causing Rarity to blush.

“Not yet, anyway.”

* * *

Twilight slowed down to a walk, safely outside of town on the road to Fluttershy’s cottage, her heart still pounding in her chest. It was all just fictional. There was no good reason for her to be acting so foalish.

She sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead. This was shaping up to be a pretty awful day so far. Terrible, yet weirdly informative nightmares, crazy ponies selling candy, and she just _had_ to bump into Applejack and Rarity during one of the odd occasions when they decided to spend time together. If she was a more superstitious pony, she might have taken it as a sign to turn around, go home, and try working things out with Fluttershy another day.

It only took a few more minutes to reach the cottage, and Twilight paused, hesitating outside the front door. She hoped Fluttershy would at least be willing to talk to her. Running through her carefully prepared speech one last time, Twilight reached a hoof up and knocked on the door.

After a minute with no answer, Twilight tried again, her confidence slipping. “Fluttershy? Are you in there? It’s me, Twilight. Look, I just want to talk, okay?”

There was shuffling sound from behind the door, and Twilight let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Forcing a warm smile as the door opened, her face fell and she blinked in surprise when, instead of Fluttershy, Angel opened the door.

“Oh… Uh, hey, Angel. Is Fluttershy in?” Twilight asked, trying to peer past him.

Angel began gesticulating wildly, shaking his fist at Twilight and pointing inside, all while chattering incomprehensibly. He pulled the door all the way open and scampered off, glancing back over his shoulder to angrily motion for her to follow.

Angel led her up to Fluttershy’s room, stopping outside and turning back to Twilight, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.

Twilight peeked around the corner and saw Fluttershy sitting there, hunched over a table with a quill in her mouth, furiously writing. She immediately noticed that the place was an absolute wreck. Candy wrappers, discarded sheets of paper, empty ink bottles, and other various bits of trash were strewn about the floor.

“Fluttershy…” Twilight mumbled, her mouth hanging open.

Fluttershy lazily turned to look at Twilight, and smiled softly. “Oh, hey Twilight. Good to see you. Um, sorry about the mess.”

Twilight stared, her planned apology evaporating from her mind in an instant. Fluttershy’s eyes were bloodshot, and there were thick dark circles under them. Her mane was frazzled, with stray hairs sticking up all over the place, and it generally looked like she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep.

“Are you… okay?” Twilight said weakly, licking her lips and swallowing. “I know I said some hurtful things last night…”

Fluttershy turned her head slightly, staring at Twilight in incomprehension. She blinked several times, before the spark of understanding finally lit up in her eyes and she gasped lightly, her face falling as she looked to the floor.

“Oh, right. I’m sorry, Twilight. It was really all my fault. I’m not a very good writer, please forgive me.”

Twilight let out a sigh, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple with a hoof. This wasn’t going at all like she had planned, and Fluttershy was barely conscious besides.

“That’s not true, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, moving over and placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “You’re a pretty good writer, especially considering it’s your first novel. I just… had some personal reservations about the direction of the plot. I’m sorry. I acted completely out of line, and said some mean things. I was lashing out because I was angry and hurt, but that’s no excuse to act like a jerk to a friend.”

Her words once again took time to reach the sleep deprived mind of Fluttershy, and she watched the delayed reaction as Fluttershy slowly turned a deep crimson, her eyes going wide.

“Y-you’re too kind, Twilight… I let myself get too wrapped up in the story I created, and in my idea on how everything would turn out, I didn’t really consider how it would make you feel.”

Twilight grinned, throwing her forelegs around Fluttershy in a hug. “Guess we can both go a little overboard sometimes, huh?”

“Thank you,” Fluttershy said, smiling. She pulled out of the hug, shaking her head and vigorously rubbing at her eyes.

“Seriously though, are you okay? You look absolutely exhausted,” Twilight said.

Fluttershy nodded, her eyelids drooping as she let out a yawn. “Nnn… I’m fine, Twilight, it’s okay. I’m almost finished anyways.”

“Finished with… what, exactly?” Twilight asked, a note of apprehension in her voice.

“The sequel, of course,” Fluttershy said as she moved back to her desk and picked up a quill.

Twilight stared blankly at the large stack of papers on the table. Had Fluttershy seriously written all of them in just one night? The idea of it was completely insane.

“How can there possibly be a sequel when everypony died at the end?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.”

“You’ll just have to read it and find out,” Fluttershy said, nodding absentmindedly. She stopped, turned to look at Twilight, and then blushed, shaking her head. “No, that’s not right. I can’t ask you to read this again… I’m just writing this for me.”

The thought of diving back into that literary world of nightmare twisted Twilight’s stomach, but she also felt that burning spark of curiosity in the back of her mind. “Did you plan to have a sequel this whole time, or did you just expand on it when I couldn’t figure it out?”

Fluttershy frowned, raising a hoof to her chin. “I’m not quite sure… I think I always had the basic idea that there would be more. The way I imagined everything and what I ended up writing didn’t match up the way I hoped they would. I don’t think I did a very good job of making the mystery solvable. I’m sorry. But, um, I’m still trying my best.”

“I see…” Twilight said, taking a deep breath. “Why… what made you decide to do all of this in the first place, Fluttershy? What are you trying to accomplish here?”

“O-oh…” Fluttershy closed her eyes and hung her head to the floor, pawing at the ground. She remained silent for a full minute before finally speaking up in a weak voice, refusing to look at Twilight. “They say a mystery novel is basically a puzzle. A contest between the author and the reader.

“I…” Fluttershy swallowed, looking up to meet Twilight’s gaze, blushing. “I wanted to create a puzzle that you would enjoy solving.”

Twilight found herself smiling. It was certainly an interesting sentiment, even if the execution had left something to be desired. “I suppose I can see what you’re trying to get at. I feel the same way about mystery novels, really. But if your goal is to get me to solve a puzzle, why not just make the puzzle and leave out all the extraneous narrative involving murder?”

Fluttershy raised a hoof to her chin, her brow furrowing as she considered the point. Eventually, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “A narrative can be just as much of a puzzle. And both the author’s and the reader’s investment in the answer is much higher.”

That was definitely true. A bare bones puzzle could be stimulating on an intellectual level, but a good narrative meant that you would care about the answer for more than just the answer’s sake.

Twilight chuckled softly, shaking her head. “I didn’t realize you had such a high concept view on writing, Fluttershy. When you first came to me asking me to read what you wrote, I expected something totally different. Had you explained your perspective from the start, well, this whole mess might have turned out a bit differently.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I’m not very good at explaining things,” Fluttershy said, ducking her head again.

“And I think that’s enough apologies for the both of us, for now,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, I tried reading your story again last night, to see if there was anything I missed, but I’m afraid I still couldn’t figure it out. In any case, I brought something that might interest you as an author.”

Fluttershy perked up as Twilight levitated the satchel off her back and opened it up. She reached for the book she had found, but a thought occurred to her at the last minute instead.

“Here, I uh, brought you some candy,” Twilight said, levitating over the bag she had purchased earlier.

Fluttershy blinked a few times before smiling and opening up the bag. “Oh, thank you very much, Twilight. That’s very sweet of you, and –“

She stopped mid sentence, holding up the brain shaped gummy, staring at it in utter confusion.

“Um….” Fluttershy mumbled, looking to Twilight, glancing at the rest of the candy in the bag, then back at Twilight.

“It’s a joke! Because, you know, you wrote a novel that involves gore and stuff, so I bought some gory candy…” Twilight rambled, baring her teeth in a forced smile.

“Oh. Oh! Ahaha, now um, I get it…” Fluttershy said, her smile equally forced.

Twilight smacked her face with her hoof, groaning. “I’m sorry. That was dumb, forget it. Anyway, I also brought a book for you.”

“What? No, it was funny, Twilight, really. I’m just tired, that’s all…” Fluttershy said, the lie plain on her face.

Sighing, Twilight offered her the book. “This is ‘A Treatise on Mysteries,’ by Roan A. Knocks. He was a prolific mystery writer about a century ago, and was part of the golden age that codified many of the tropes and conventions mystery is known for. This book is sort of a collection of essays about the genre as a whole, including a somewhat famous list of ten commandments for mystery writers to follow, ‘Knocks’ Decalogue.’”

Twilight beamed as Fluttershy skimmed the old tome.

“Actually, Twilight, I have this book already. I did a lot of research for this, and it’s hard to write a mystery without at least considering Knock’s perspective. But thank you.”

Twilight blinked, her smile fading. That couldn’t be right. “Your story, Fluttershy, it’s not exactly…”

Fluttershy interrupted her, shaking her head. “I followed the rules, Twilight.”

She thought back, about the Decalogue and Fluttershy’s novel. Surely it had broken a rule somewhere? “What about the sequel?”

“Yep. I made sure to stick to it,” Fluttershy said, nodding.

There it was again. That burning spark of curiosity. To say Twilight was unsatisfied with the ending would be an understatement. In part because it was all so needlessly horrific. But also because she wanted to know the truth of what had happened to her fictional counterpart. Even if she couldn’t see how it was possible, Fluttershy was saying that there was more to this story.

There was something she noticed in the way Fluttershy had apologized, before and now. She was sorry for hurting Twilight. She was sorry for failing to make the mystery clear enough, and sorry for being inconsiderate of Twilight’s perspective. But she never once apologized for writing what she did, and how she did it. For whatever reason, her conviction was absolute.

So here she was. The sequel was liable to be more of the same. Death. Suffering. Tragedy. It would be easy enough to walk away, here and now, and never step into that world again. Fluttershy would be disappointed, but she would understand. Twilight had no obligation to continue reading, especially after what had already happened. Like a cat trapped in a box, if she never bothered to read what was on those pages, she would never know the answer, but would also never have to experience whatever suffering they might contain.

Twilight chuckled softly, mumbling something under her breath.

“Um, what was that?” Fluttershy asked. “I didn’t hear you.”

“I said…” Twilight paused, looking up as a grin stretched across her face. “I’ll read it. Your sequel.”

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and she dropped the book she was holding to the floor. “N-no, you don’t have to do that because of me, Twilight, I mean it. It’s more of the same. I’m sure you’d really hate going through all of that again.”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m serious, I want to read it. Does this one have a happy ending?”

Fluttershy pursed her lips, looking away. “That depends on you…”

A flare of excitement welled up in Twilight’s heart. Fluttershy had some unconventional ideas about storytelling and audience participation. But now that she had experienced loss once… she was the protagonist. She wanted to fight, to win, and to see justice done.

“That settles it, Fluttershy. I’m going to do my best to solve your mystery. That is, if you think it’s ready.”

Fluttershy’s expression changed slowly, her smile growing radiant and her eyes filling with a bright hope that seemed to wash away her exhaustion.

“Oh thank you thank you thank you!” Fluttershy leapt forward, throwing her forelegs around Twilight’s next and bouncing excitedly. “I worked oh so hard on this one! Now, the theme is a bit different, and I’ve tried to clarify some things better and the puzzles are a little more explicit and the conflict is –“

Smiling, Twilight put a hoof over Fluttershy’s mouth and then extracted herself from her grasp. “No need to spoil everything. Don’t worry, I’ll get to it.”

Fluttershy continued to bounce around the room as if she had been taking lessons from Pinkie Pie.

“So, when do you think it’ll be ready?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, right now should be fine. I only needed to put a few more things in at the end.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? Are you certain about that? You don’t want to maybe take a step back, get some sleep, do some editing…”

Fluttershy nodded. “Absolutely. I’m confident that I nailed it this time Twilight, so we can start whenever you’re ready.”

Twilight watched as Fluttershy started slowly leaning to one side. She nearly toppled over before Twilight reached out and caught her with her magic. “I think you should probably get some rest first. “

“Oh, no, I’ll be fine, really…” Fluttershy rubbed at her eyes, yawning. “And I still have to take care of my animals. I may have been a bit neglectful.”

Glancing over her shoulder, Twilight saw Angel Bunny still waiting in the door frame, rolling his eyes. “How about we head back to the library, then? I can send Spike over to watch the animals for a day, and then I’ll get started on the sequel, and you can take a nap in peace and quiet.”

Angel Bunny seemed to dislike this idea rather emphatically, but Fluttershy smiled and began packing up her things. “That sounds like a great idea, Twilight.”

* * *

Getting back to the library with Fluttershy was more of a chore than it should have been, since she kept nodding off mid stride. By the time Twilight reached her front door, she was practically carrying the pegasus with levitation to make sure she kept going in a straight line.

“Nnnn…” Fluttershy yawned, pawing at the ground. “Is this for me, Twilight? You really shouldn’t have…”

“Is what—“ Twilight began to ask, but saw that Fluttershy had noticed what appeared to be a present in the bushes outside her house.

“Sorry, but I’m not sure what this is. Maybe it’s something Spike ordered,” Twilight said, levitating the package along as she opened the door.

“Spike, I’m home! Come here, I’ve got something I need you to do!” Twilight called out as she entered the library. 

“What do you need, Twilight?” Spike asked as he came down the stairs.

“Can you go watch over Fluttershy’s animals for the day? We’ve got some uh… stuff we need to work out.”

Spike raised an eyebrow, looking over the two of them. Fluttershy was very poignantly interested in a particular spot on the wall. “Is uh, everything okay?’

Twilight glanced over at Fluttershy and winced slightly. “Yeah… Don’t worry, I can handle everything. I’ll explain this all to you later, I promise.”

Spike sighed, sinking his face into his palm. “I guess I’ll go get my rabbit caretaking kit,” he said as he moved towards the cupboard where the pots and pans were kept.

Spike begrudgingly set off while Fluttershy collapsed onto the cushions, eyelids flickering as she slipped in and out of consciousness.

Shoot. She had forgotten to ask Spike about the package. It wasn’t labeled, though, so it wouldn’t really be a problem if she just went ahead and opened it.

Yellow eyes stared at her from within.

“Mrw.”

Her mouth hanging open, Twilight watched as a sleek black cat stretched inside the present-box then lazily stepped out, looking around the library with feline indifference.

“Awww… I didn’t know you were getting a cat, Twilight. You should have said something,” Fluttershy said, the presence of a cute animal apparently enough to rouse her from her stupor.

“I didn’t…” Twilight mumbled. Who in Equestria would send her a cat? This was a little off the wall, even for Pinkie Pie. And the punchline was missing, besides.

The cat walked across the table, jumped down, found a cushion, and settled in, yawning.

“Do you have a name, little one? Cats really shouldn’t be delivered in boxes like that, but you seem to be okay, so I’m glad,” Fluttershy said, continuing her adoration of the mysterious animal.

Twilight shook her head. “I have no idea why there was a cat at my doorstep, Fluttershy, and I’m not really in the market for another pet right now. If nopony shows up later to claim her, would you mind taking her in?”

“Aww, but I think she likes you, Twilight!”

The cat stared at Twilight with cold indifference, blinking once before turning to lick her paw.

Twilight pursed her lips, staring back at the animal. This was all really too out of the blue to deal with right now. It was just a cat, and she had more important things to worry about at the moment. She had a feeling this would work itself out later, anyway.

“Alright, I guess we’ll just have a bit of an audience, then. Is that okay?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy continued to coo sweet nothings at the cat, so Twilight levitated the roughly written stack of papers before her and took a deep breath. _Here I go again..._

“This is a work of fiction. Names, characters…” Twilight started to read out loud, but stopped, turning to raise an eyebrow at Fluttershy. “Uh, I think it’s a little late for a disclaimer like this, don’t you think?”

Fluttershy blushed and looked away. “I just wanted to make it clear…”

Twilight smiled, shaking her head with a sigh. “If you say so.” She quickly skimmed down the rest of the page, noticing something odd.

“Uh, Fluttershy, is Applejack the protagonist now?”

Fluttershy blinked and then shook her head. “No. Well, I mean, she’s the protagonist for the prologue chapters, but you’re still the main protagonist.”

“Despite being dead?” Twilight asked incredulously.

“Like I said, you’ll see,” Fluttershy said, yawning.

“I think I’ll read to myself this time, if you don’t mind. You need to get some sleep.”

Fluttershy nodded, her eyes already drooping closed.

Twilight glanced up to the top of the page, noting that Fluttershy had bothered to put the title in this time.

“The Challenge of Golden Wish.”


	13. TIPS: Knocks' Decalogue

_Excerpt from A ‘Treatise on Mysteries’, by Roan A. Knocks. Additional commentary by_ _Naor A. Knocks._

 

I. It is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned in the early part of the story. A mysterious stranger who is revealed at the last minute spoils the play altogether.

II.It is forbidden for an excessive use of magic to employed as a detective technique. Magic is a powerful tool, and a unicorn detective has many more options at his disposal. But should magic be used to solve the crime entirely - for instance, a lie detecting spell that finds the culprit, or a monitoring spell which catches him red handed, you should stop and consider what kind of story you really want to tell.

III. It is forbidden for hidden passages to exist. Without the proper clues and foreshadowing indicating such a passage exists and having the detective discover them, it is no more than a cheap trick that removes the readers ability to reason.

IV. It is forbidden for unknown powers or hard to understand scientific devices to be used. Any hack can imagine an insane type of magical plant or potion that conjures up strange effects and impossible scenarios. A mystery should be solved by the powers of pony deduction, not the authors magical fantasy. Likewise, if the solution to your mystery requires a long science lecture at the end, throw it in the trash.

V: It is forbidden for griffons or other monsters to figure into the story. _** While this certainly seems inappropriate from a modern perspective,_ _my father’s view here should be considered in context_ _. Tensions between Equestria and the Griffon Empire were high at the time, and many shoddy writers used cheap caricatures of Griffons, as well as various magical beasts as their culprit, denying the reader a true suspect._

VI. It is forbidden for accident or intuition to be employed as a detective technique. Clues should be found through genuine deduction and investigation. Your detective must not, for example, look for the lost will in the works of a grandfather clock because an unaccountable instinct tells him that it is the right place to search.

VII. It is forbidden for the detective to be the culprit.This is the ultimate deception to pull on the reader, and why it is forbidden should be fairly obvious. This only counts for intentional crime. If, in the course of the mystery, the detective triggers an accident that leads to a murder, it is still forgivable. 

VIII. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not presented. Perhaps the simplest of all, yet the most important core to a good mystery. To solve the crime, present the clues. All clues must be foreshadowed earlier in the story.

IX. It is permitted for observers to let their own conclusions and interpretations be heard. Whether intentionally trying to deceive the detective, speculating on their own, or just plain misguided, any character is allowed to project their own interpretations on to the events of the story. It is the job of the detective and the reader to sift through all the information to decide what is reliable and what is merely a red herring.

X. It is forbidden for a character to disguise themselves as another without any clues. This is too easy of a dodge, and too much of a cliche to be taken seriously.


	14. Chapter 10 - The Heart of an Apple

_This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or ponies, living or dead, is entirely coincidental._

“Alright, let’s get this party started!”

Pinkie Pie pulled a cord and jumped up into the air as confetti and streamers fell from the ceiling, swirling around them. They received more than a few annoyed glances from the other museum goers.

“Seriously?” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Out of everything there is to do here in Mareami, the first place we go is to a _museum?”_

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Really now, Rainbow Dash, a _little_ bit of culture isn’t going to kill you. And I just have to check out the early century pony fashions exhibit. I hear some of the dresses they have are originals!”

Twilight grinned. “I know how you feel about these sorts of things, Rainbow, so I kept that in mind when I designed today’s itinerary. We’ll only be here for an hour and a half before we head down to the beach, so I’m sure you can last till then. Besides, there’s an exhibit on ancient pegasus racing you might be interested in.”

Rainbow Dash perked up visibly at that, and everypony shared a good laugh.

Applejack wiped a tear from her eye, smiling as she followed behind the others. It felt so darn good for everypony to be together like this again, even if it wouldn’t last for long. She missed all the playful banter, the gentle ribbing, and the general company of her friends.

As Twilight led the group through the museum, teaching what was surely a fascinating lesson about history, Applejack fell into step besides Rarity.

There were some ponies she missed more than others.

“Hey, Rar. Yer looking good, as always. That, uh, scarf suits you.”

Rarity turned to Applejack, blushing slightly and smiling at the compliment. “Why thank you, darling. I’m glad somepony noticed. Mareami is such a _vibrant_ city, and I really think these colors help capture that feeling, you know?”

Applejack's heart skipped a beat. Maybe she didn't know what colors went with what city, but Rarity's passion for her craft was infectious, and she found herself laughing along with her.

Perhaps to say she was 'in love with Rarity' would be a bit of an overstatement. A foalish infatuation would probably be a better way of phrasing it. Sure, she had always admired Rarity's beauty, grace, passion, and work ethic from afar. It's not like they were even the greatest of friends. Their personalities clashed in numerous ways, and their history attested to that.

But ever since Rarity had left Ponyville to pursue her dreams, there had been a noticeably unicorn shaped hole in Applejack's heart. Sure, she missed Twilight and Rainbow Dash too, but she had recently come to the revelation that her feelings towards the absence of one friend in particular were rather different. 

Still, there's no way a relationship like that would ever actually work, right? It was just a silly crush. For now, she was content to just enjoy this vacation while she had the chance. 

"So, uh, how's the Big Apple treatin ya?" Applejack asked, just barely avoiding choking on her words in the process. Getting her head and heart all twisted up in idle fantasies wasn't going to do her any favors.

Rarity’s smile grew fainter, and she let out a light sigh. “Oh, it’s okay, I suppose. It’s a wonderful place, but I’m so swamped with orders I rarely get the chance to get out and enjoy it. What about you? I heard Sweet Apple Acres is expanding.”

Applejack let out a sigh herself. “Ah, you know. Flim and Flam came up with a way to bottle cider and offered to help distribute it across Equestria. Those two are a nothing but a couple of two bit hucksters, but this time they weren’t just selling empty air. Had to hire a buncha help to keep up with demand, and I’m in charge of the lot. Feels weird having ponies that ain’t Apples out there applebuckin’, but they’re good workers.”

“Well,” Rarity said, her eyes somewhat distant. “I guess that’s just where life takes us, hm?”

The two walked side by side in silence for a while, barely registering Twilight’s ramblings about ancient pegasus racing chariots or somesuch.

Rarity shook her head, turning to smile at Applejack. “Oh, what are we getting mopey about anyway? I think we both know it. Work doesn’t always compare to friendship, no matter how glamorous. I miss you all so much, sometimes.”

Applejack’s breath caught in her throat, and she looked away. “I uh, miss…” she said, swallowing and adjusting her hat before trying again. “Ponyville just ain’t the same without you, Rar.”

She felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes and she turned to the side, trying to rub them away. Consarnit, she was a grown mare! There was no reason she should be getting all weepy at the drop of a hat like a character in one of those romance novels Rarity loved so much. 

"Applejack, is everything okay?" Rarity asked, her voice concerned. The others had stopped as well and were looking back. 

"I, uh..." Applejack felt the sweat dripping down her forehead, everypony’s eyes boring into her. Groaning, she clutched at her stomach. "Just need to go use the little fillies room, that's all."

"Oh. I think it's down that hallway there," Twilight said, pointing off to the right. "Don't be gone too long though, this next part is super interesting!"

It was a cliche, but the classics were classic for a reason. She bowed out of the group and headed down the nearby hallway alone. She just needed some time to get her emotions in check. 

***

Applejack stared at herself in the mirror and splashed some water on her face. Maybe it would be better if she just avoided Rarity for the rest of this trip. As much as she loved her company, she was likely to make a complete fool of herself if she continued at this rate. 

Or she could just saddle up and deal with it. She was an Apple, not some –

As Applejack exited the bathroom, her train of thought was interrupted when somepony crashed into her with a startled yelp. The pony fell to the floor, along with whatever they were carrying.

"What in the – Ah, shoot. You alright there, old-timer?"

Applejack reached out a hoof and helped the elderly earth pony stallion up. He had on a collar with a badge pinned to it that marked him as a member of the museum staff. 

"I'm sorry about that, ma'am, I shoulda learned my lesson about walking too close to them bathroom doors a long time ago."

“You alright? Didn’t hurt or break nothing, did I?” Applejack asked, looking at the box that had fallen to the floor. The words ‘Princess Wishlight Exhibit’ were scrawled on the sides.

“I’m still spry, no need to worry about me. And what’s in the box is mostly junk anyway.” The earth pony crouched to pick up the box, but immediately flinched, clutching at his back. “Shoot. Musta pulled something.”

“Here, lemme help with that,” Applejack said, lifting the box up to her back. It wasn’t particularly heavy. “Name’s Applejack. Now, 

“Down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor storage closet. Thanks for the help. I’m Footnote, by the way,” he said, falling into step with Applejack as she began trotting off down the hall.

“Granny always taught me to help anypony in need. So what’s in the box, anyway?”

Footnote chuckled, shaking his head. “Eh, some nonsense about an ancient princess who could grant wishes. Exhibit spent most of its time gathering dust. If ya ask me it was probably some historian’s clever idea of a hoax.”

“It does sound a bit farfetched,” Applejack agreed, coming to a stop as she reached the stairs. 

Frowning, Footnote tested the stairs with a hoof, wincing as soon as he put pressure on it. “Dangit. Musta been worse than I thought. Can barely handle stairs on a good day. Normally one of the younger workers’d be doing this job, but it’s that time of the year when all the ponies have to go out to party, and us old folk get stuck doing all the work.”

Applejack grinned, shifting the box slightly on her shoulders. “Can’t say I ain’t here to do the same, to be honest, but it seems like a museum trip was first on the agenda for me and my friends today. If you point me in the right direction, I’ll get the box there for ya.”

Footnote blinked, taken aback, before bursting into a hearty laugh. “I like you, Applejack. You seem like a good, honest pony that knows how to respect her elders. Should be the first door to the left up the stairs. Here are the keys, just bring them to the office when you’re done. I’m going to go find me some medicine to dull the pain. Thanks for everything!”

“Shucks, ain’t no problem at all,” Applejack said, blushing slightly as she tipped her hat to the old pony. She felt a warm sense of pride fill her heart as she carried the box up the stairs. Helping others always felt good, and this was exactly the kind of distraction she needed. A nice reminder of the kind of pony she wanted to be.

“Let’s see, should be in here, right?” Applejack unlocked the door marked “Storage” and pushed it open, the light from the corridor flooding into the dimly lit closet. Metal racks lined the walls filled with all sorts of barely recognizable things, and Applejack moved in slowly, looking for an empty place to put the box.

As she worked her way past the darkened shelves, she caught her hoof on something and stumbled. The box tumbled from her back, the battered cardboard splitting open at the seams. Applejack winced at the sound of metal clattering across the floor.

Applejack swore under her breath, waving away the cloud of dust that had been kicked up. Gingerly, she reached down and picked up the first object in reach, which appeared to be a plaque of some sort.

“With her power, a true desire of the heart can be made into reality,” Applejack said, reading out loud. “Huh.”

As she glanced around for a new box to pack everything back up in, a glint of light caught her eye from the spilled debris. Brushing some of it aside, Applejack saw a golden bracelet, inlaid with emeralds and rubies. It was polished to a mirror shine. 

“This has to be worth a fortune! And they’re just tossing it aside in some cardboard box,” Applejack muttered, leaning in closer. She stared at her own reflection in the bracelet, distorted by the curve of the metal and the low light. 

“True desire of my heart, huh? No way something like that could actually be real…”

Playing with an idle fancy, Applejack crystallized her wish in her mind and reached out with a hoof, touching the bracelet.

Color vanished from the world in an instant. Applejack found herself beside a black and white version of herself frozen in time.

“What in the hay…” Applejack mumbled. Her voice was absorbed by the suddenly oppressive silence around her. 

She reached over and knocked lightly on the gray version of herself, her own hoof still its usual orange. The other her was completely still, hoof still touching the bracelet. “Did I break something?”

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to play with other ponies toys?”

A voice rang out across the room, and Applejack spun around. Before her stood a magnificent golden alicorn with a short purple mane, her radiance sharply contrasted by the bleak gray surrounding them both.

“Who are…” Applejack paused, swallowing nervously. “Er, you’re that Princess, right? Wishlight or somesuch? Just what is going on here?”

The alicorn snorted, shaking her head. “That would be my mother. I am known as Golden Wish. And that bracelet belongs to me.”

Applejack took her hat off, bowing slightly. “I didn’t mean no offense, yer highness, honest. Just trying to pick up the mess I made.”

Golden Wish brought a hoof to her mouth, smiling coyly. “Is that all? Is the wish you hold so dear to your heart just an illusion then?”

“I…” Applejack’s eyes widened and she clutched at her chest reflexively. “You can sense somethin’ like that?”

“It’s in my name, is it not?” Golden Wish said, laughing gaily. “Your heart is true, young Applejack, even if you do not yet believe it yourself. My power can twist fate like a thread, and bring two ponies together when otherwise they would remain forever apart.”

Applejack frowned, scratching her head with a hoof. “So you’re saying that if your power twists up fate, then… I wouldn’t ever stand a chance without it? She’s destined to end up with somepony else?”

Golden Wish grinned, baring a set of fangs. “You’re clever as well as honest. I like that in a pony. You are correct. If you were to partake of my gift, her fate would be altered, as well as the fate of somepony else down the line. The two of you would be blissfully happy together. Love is a powerful magic. The other pony? I cannot say. Destiny sometimes has a backup plan.”

Applejack swallowed, sweat dripping down her forehead. “I just… want a chance, that’s all.”

“A chance is a chance is a chance,” Golden Wish said, yawning slightly. “All love comes at a cost, Applejack. You must challenge each other. It requires risk, sacrifice, dedication, perseverance, and many other things that you could find in a thousand love songs. Even with my power, it will never be easy. What does your heart say?”

Applejack turned to herself, looking herself over and staring at the braclet. “I…”

Applejack picked up the bracelet. There was no flash of light, no thunderous boom of a genie. She chuckled nervously, and placed it aside. Now wasn’t the time for silly fantasies. 

“Applejack? Hello?” 

Applejack froze as she heard Rarity’s voice from the hallway outside. There was no possible way that… 

“I’m in here, Rar, gimme a sec and I’ll be right out.”

It was obviously just a coincidence. She did her best to put the box back together and stuffed the exhibit under a nearby shelf before exiting the storage room and re-locking the door.

Rarity smiled as Applejack came into view. “There you are. You took a while, so I was starting to get worried. A museum worker pointed me in this direction.”

“Yeah. Just got caught up helping a pony, that’s all,” Applejack said, blushing slightly.

“Is that so?” Rarity said, grinning coyly as she reached over and brushed some of the dust out of Applejack’s mane. “I know this museum isn’t the most interesting activity, darling, but Twilight’s having the time of her life, so we should really do our best for her sake, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t, I mean…” Applejack stammered, her face growing even redder before she realized she was being teased and turned to glower at Rarity. “Har har.”

Rarity kept on smiling mischievously, even as she tried to feign innocence. 

As the two made their way back through the museum, Applejack mulled over her feelings. Maybe there was no such thing as wish granting magic, but it wouldn’t hurt too much to just take a chance, would it?

“Hey, Rar…” Applejack said, turning away. “Do you know what the schedule for tonight is?”

Rarity frowned, raising a hoof to her chin. “Hmm. I know the beach is next, and then I’m sure Twilight has some other stuff planned afterwards. I think after six or so she’s left the schedule open for us to do what we please. Why do you ask?”

Swallowing, Applejack stopped in her tracks and turned to look Rarity in the eye. “You want to, uh, go stargazing later? I hear the view overlooking the Mareami beaches at night is simply to die for.”

Rarity blinked, looking Applejack up and down. “I suppose so. I’ll bring it up to the others, and see how they feel about it.”

Applejack winced, shaking her head. “No, uh. I mean, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie wouldn’t be all that interested, and Twilight would just spend all her time spitting out star factoids. And Fluttershy…” Applejack stopped, growling as she knocked a hoof on her head. “Dangit. What I’m trying to say is that I think it should be just me and you. We, 

“I see…” Rarity said, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. With a smile, she turned back to Applejack. “Well, I can’t say your logic is perfect, but you are correct on that account. Alright then, it sounds like a plan. I’m sure the others have things they want to do on their own or with each other, anyway.”

Applejack’s heart raced as they continued back down the hall. She’d done it! Now all she had to do was go out tonight with Rarity and… do what, exactly? Confess? What happened to just avoiding her so as to not get into embarrassing moments just like this one? Maybe she could fake a stomach ache and just back out now.

No. It was time to saddle up. Now was as good a time as ever to face the truth about her feelings head on. 

Bitterly, she realized that even should the worst happen, the fallout wouldn't be so bad with Rarity gone most of the time.

* * *

Applejack stared into the night sky, listening to the waves lap against the shore below. Even though it was summer, a chill wind was coming in off the ocean, and she shivered in her solitude. 

She was early, of course. Probably too early. She paced back and forth, trying to plan out what she was going to say while simultaneously berating herself to just let it all come naturally. 

After what seemed like an eternity of agonized internal struggling, she finally spotted the object of her frustrations on the road below. Rarity noticed her on top of the ridge and waved as she began to make her way up the slope. 

“Hey Rar,” Applejack called down to her, her voice cracking slightly. She winced and hoped Rarity hadn’t noticed. She needed to get her act together, and fast.

“Lovely night, isn’t it?” Rarity said, smiling. She lifted a picnic basket from her flanks and set it on the ground. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a few things to make this a more proper outing. I’m sure we’re both stuffed from dinner, but a few drinks and a light snack or two never hurt anypony.”

“Uh, yeah, sure. That’s fine,” Applejack said, watching as Rarity pulled out a elaborately embroidered blanket from the basket and laid it down on the damp grass. Why hadn’t she thought of anything like that? _Stupid._

“Now then,” Rarity said as she finished unpacking. “Let’s see this gorgeous view in all its nocturnal glory, shall we?”

Winking at Applejack, Rarity moved past her up to the top of the ridge, her breath catching in her throat as she gazed onto the beach and the ocean below.

“Sure is somethin’...” Applejack muttered, moving to stand by her side. “Granny took me here once when I was just a filly. Ain’t never forgot the sight.”

The beach below them glittered in a dazzling rainbow of colors, the moonlight reflecting off of the multitude of tiny, crushed gemstones that the beach had instead of sand. 

“I thought it was impressive in the daytime, but…”

While the radiance of the beach had been almost blinding under the afternoon sun, the subdued light of the moon and gentle lapping of waves caused multicolored illusions to dance across the shore, rainbow shadows flickering in and out of existence with each shift of the water.

“Oh Applejack,” Rarity said breathlessly. “Thank you for inviting me up here. This may be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever laid eyes on in all of Equestria.”

_It pales in beauty next to you._ Applejack mentally slapped herself for even thinking of a line that cheesy. “It ain’t nothin. I mean, you like gems and all, and you certainly seemed to like it earlier today when we were all swimming. Just figured I’d show you in a different light.”

Rarity laughed gaily, turning to Applejack with a grin. “To tell you the truth, this place kind of makes my horn itch like crazy. This great horde of gems, and they’ve got it so enchanted nopony can walk away with even a single grain.”

Applejack nodded. “Sure felt bad for Spike, though. Poor fella musta drooled enough to raise the sea level a couple inches.”

The two of them shared a laugh before lying down on the blanket, leaning over the edge of the ridge to watch the light show below. They sat like that in silence for a while, listening to the sound of the waves and the cries of cicadas.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Applejack broke the silence. “Hey… Rar. Can I ask you an honest question?”

Rarity turned to Applejack, her eyes widening slightly with a hint of curiosity. “Go ahead, darling.”

“Are we…” Applejack stopped, swallowing nervously as she tried to suppress the shaking of her hooves. “Are we really friends?”

Rarity’s mouth fell open, and she flinched back, looking hurt. “Of course we are! Why would you even say something like that?”

Applejack shook her head. “I… I mean, we, we don’t always get along, you know? And we don’t really like the same things, or have much in common at all, really. I don’t generally care much for fashion, or appearances, or proper decorum, or any of that stuff you like, and I know you don’t care nothing for farm work or getting dirty or any of the stuff that I like to do.”

Rarity blinked a few times, then sighed. “Come now, I thought we were already past stuff like this. Yes, we’ve had our share of disagreements in the past. And our hobbies don’t mesh up very well together. But you really should know better.”

With a soft smile, Rarity reached over and placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “You may be a great farm pony, and you might not care when you get dirty, but is that all that defines you?” She moved her hoof down across Applejack’s chest, bringing it to rest over her heart. “You, Applejack, are an honest, hard working pony who finds joy in the work she does, cares deeply for her family, and would never hesitate when it comes to helping a friend.”

Rarity pulled her hoof back and placed it over her own heart. “On the surface level, sure, but here? Do you really think we have nothing in common?”

Applejack swallowed, tears welling up in her eyes. Rarity was right, of course. She knew that already. It was a big part of the reason she was up here. “Sorry, you’re right. I can be a mite fool sometimes.”

The two sat in silence again, Applejack occasionally sniffling and wiping at her eyes. She had already messed up, but there was no turning back now.

“Rarity…” Applejack said, her voice wavering as she looked away. “Do you… do you think that…” Squeezing her eyes shut, she forced herself to continue. “We could ever be… more than friends?”

Applejack kept her eyes closed, the silence stretching on for what seemed like an eternity until she felt Rarity’s hoof on her shoulder.

“Applejack,” Rarity said, her tone serious. “I’m as perceptive as anypony. I can read the situation. But miscommunication leads to ponies getting hurt. If there’s something you’re trying to say to me, please say it to me straight.”

“Shoot,” Applejack muttered under her breath. Summoning every scrap of willpower she had she stood up, turning to face Rarity head on, her eyes full of tears. “I like you, Rar. I like you a lot. Maybe this is even what ponies call love, I dunno. But I just can’t get my mind off you. You’re so beautiful and graceful and talented. Your passion for your craft is infectious and makes me want to smile as sure as any musical number by Pinkie Pie. Ever since you left Ponyville, there ain’t nothing what feels right anymore. The world is a grayer place without you in it. It may have took me a while to realize what it was I was missing, but it was you, Rarity.”

"Oh my..." Rarity mumbled under her breath, her mouth hanging open as color crept into her cheeks.

“I… right then,” Applejack said, pulling her hat down over her face. “I’ve said my piece. Just go ahead and tell me off so I can go home, cry for a bit, then come back in the morning and pretend this never happened. Then I’ll move on with my life.”

Rarity pursed her lips, her eyes becoming downcast. “Is… that what you want me to do?”

Applejack turned away, and took one step down the hill. “Shoot. That’s probably for the best, right? What I want don’t matter. It’s just a silly fantasy.”

“What about what I want?”

Applejack froze in her tracks, and slowly turned back around to look at Rarity, her breath catching in her throat.

“Applejack…” Rarity said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “I’m not going to say that… I’m secretly madly in love with you too, or anything like that…” she paused, pawing at the ground and blushing, turning her head and giving Applejack a coy smile. “But you _are_ a pony close to my heart, Applejack. If I mean enough to you that you want to be more than friends and start a relationship, well, I’d be willing to give it a shot.”

Applejack stared, her mouth hanging open. All the conflicting thoughts and desires in her mind collapsed into a black hole of fantasy made reality, leaving her both overcome with joy and terrified at the prospect of it all. For all of her idle dreams, she had never put much thought into the idea of actually being in a relationship with Rarity. It had simply seemed too outlandish to actually consider. But here she was, staring her in the face.

“Applejack… come on now, don’t leave me out in the cold here,” Rarity said, her blush growing deeper. “I’m opening myself up here too, you know.”

“Ah, shoot, I,” Applejack stammered, trying to force the right words out of her mouth. “I’m sorry, sug, I just, I mean, would something like that really be okay with you? I wouldn’t even know where to start… I ain’t exactly a prince come to sweep you off your hooves.”

Rarity giggled slightly. “Oh, I don’t know about that. You’ve got your fair share of princely qualities, even if you won’t admit it. And a date like this,” she said, pausing to turn and gesture towards the ocean lights. “Would sweep any mare off her hooves.”

Applejack felt her face burning even hotter, and when Rarity leaned in and kissed her on the cheek her heart threatened to tear itself out of her chest.

“Is that enough to let you know I’m serious?” Rarity asked, backing away. “Tell you what. This is all pretty scary and new to me too. How about we just lie down here and enjoy the date some more, and we can work out the details in the morning, hm?”

Applejack swallowed and took a deep breath before nodding silently. She moved back up to the top of the ridge where she laid down. Rarity joined her, her warm body pressing against her side.

As the symphony of lights continued to play below, the new couple held hooves, their hearts fluttering with the excitement and anticipation of the moment and what was yet to come.

* * *

Applejack rested a hoof on the railing, staring at the bustling lights and sounds of the city streets a thousand feet below her.

Eight months. That’s how long ago she had summoned up the courage to turn her mental fiction into reality, and her life was all the brighter because of it. That’s not to say it was easy going. Like any couple new to love, they made their fair share of mistakes. Their differing attitudes on life often drove them to argue. Their work and passions often pulled them far apart.

But through it all, in both high times and low, Applejack had felt Rarity’s affection for her grow, eventually blossoming into love of its own accord, and her own feelings for the unicorn of her dreams simply doubled in response. 

Which was why she was here, on the tallest building in all of Manehatten, ready to seal her feelings with an eternal promise.

“Sweetheart?” Rarity called out from the door of the observatory platform. “Why don’t you come back inside, it’s freezing out here.”

The gusts of winter wind this high up bit into her flanks, but Applejack gritted her teeth and ignored the pain. “I’ll be in shortly, Rar. Just gimme a few more minutes, okay?”

The inside of the observatory platform, while warm and toasty, was filled with tourists. And while the chill wind left the outside area with privacy, it was more than a little distracting when it came to romance. She really should have thought this through better.

“Applejack, what’s the matter?” Rarity asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder and causing her to jump slightly in surprise. 

“I… I’m just thinking, that’s all.”

Rarity pulled her cloak in tighter around herself, and moved in closer to Applejack, sharing her warmth. “Today really was lovely, you know. The dinner, the play… all this time I’ve been living in Manehatten, and yet I’ve never once come up here. Thank you for reminding me of the beauty of this city, as opposed to the view of the carriage in front of me when I’m stuck in traffic.”

Applejack chuckled nervously, furiously trying to run through her prepared speech in her mind. She had wanted everything to be perfect. Rarity liked perfect. She _deserved_ perfect. Applejack was anything but, but being around Rarity made her want to strive for that ideal. Unfortunately, as much as she tried, her efforts tended to fall short. 

But for some strange reason, Rarity had always shown an otherworldly amount of patience and understanding for Applejack’s flaws and always forgave her imperfections in the end. There was no turning back now. This would just have to be another notch in her legacy of ‘Almost, but not quite.’

“Rarity…” Applejack said, steeling her nerves and turning to face her. The blood in her veins heated up with adrenaline, and suddenly the cold seemed almost non existent. 

“Yes, dear?” Rarity asked, shivering slightly.

This was it. “You know I’m not the best with words… I spent days trying to figure the right words for what I’m about to say, and musta wrote it and rewrote it a dozen times. None of it worked, and no amount of flowery speeches ever felt like they were truly coming from me. So I’ll just keep this short and simple, like I always do.”

Rarity’s mouth fell open, and her eyes began to glisten. “You’re…”

Bending down to her knees, Applejack reached into the pocket of her suitcoat and pulled out a small box. “Rarity, I love you more than anything. These past eight months were the happiest I’ve ever been, and even when things got rough, I couldn’t imagine a future where you’re not there by my side. Will you marry me?”

The tears in Rarity’s eyes began to spill over, and she lept forward, locking lips with Applejack in a tight kiss before pulling back. “Absolutely YES.”

All at once it was like the weight of the world was lifted off of Applejack’s shoulders. Not that she had really expected to be rejected, but her own eyes were wet with tears as her heart threatened to burst with joy.

Gingerly, she picked up the ring in her teeth. It was a band of intertwining white and red gold, and a diamond with the image of an apple magically engraved into the center. It had taken a lot of saving, but was more than worth it, in her mind.

Rarity bowed down and Applejack leaned forward, slipping the ring onto her horn and lightly kissing the top of her head. 

“Er, Applejack?” Rarity asked, after Applejack stayed in that position for more than a few seconds. 

Burning with embarrassment, Applejack mumbled, “Mah lips’re stuffk to tha ring…”

Rarity burst out laughing, causing Applejack to yelp in pain as her head jerked around with the movement. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Here, let me fix that.” 

With a tingle of magic, Rarity heated the band of metal slightly and Applejack was able to pull free without tearing any skin. 

“Dangit. I’ve just gone and made a big mess of this, haven’t I?” Applejack said, rubbing at her lips.

Rarity moved closer and threw her forehooves around Applejack’s neck, burying her face in close. “Perfection belongs in romance novels, Applejack, not real life. Real love is stupid and silly, and full of all the little mistakes and moments like this that make ponies ponies. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and what happened here tonight really has no bearing on my decision to do so.”

Pulling back and kissing her on the cheek, Rarity smiled coyly. “Although, don’t get me wrong, the effort is certainly appreciated.”

Unable to help herself, Applejack burst into laughter at the absurdity of it all.

“I love you, Rar,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

“I love you too, Applejack,” Rarity said, moving close to stand next to her. “You know, I was really hoping this was what today was all about. I guess some wishes do come true after all, you know?”

Applejack chuckled, throwing a foreleg around Rarity’s shoulder. “They sure do.”

A memory came back to her, a fleeting wisp of a half-forgotten fantasy, and Applejack’s heart froze solid.

“Congratulations! You two make a cute couple.” The voice of Golden Wish carried across the silent rooftop, frozen in time.

Applejack pulled away from herself, turning to face the alicorn behind her. “What do you want?”

“I didn’t…” Applejack growled, stomping a hoof. “My relationship was built out of mutual trust and hard work. I don’t remember you having anything to do with it.”

“Is that so…” Golden Wish said, letting out a sigh. “You made the wish, didn’t you? From your heart's greatest desire sprung forth a seed of love. Perhaps your tender care and gardening has caused it to grow into a beautiful flower, but were it not for my intervention, you would still surely be wallowing in self pity all by your lonesome.”

Applejack pawed at the ground in frustration, looking away. “Rarity is a grown mare. She made the decision to give me a chance of her own free will. You had nothing to do with it.”

“Did she, now?” Golden Wish asked, a smirk playing at her face. “Just what do you think a wish is, Applejack? You called on my power, and I was generous enough to grant it to you. You have what you wanted, yes? Take your beautiful flower, pluck her from the ground, and place her in a vase on your bedside table. She is yours.”

Applejack’s eyes widened, the color draining from her face as what the horror of what she may have wrought slowly dawned on her. “No…”

Golden Wish threw back her head and laughed as Applejack sunk to the floor, covering her ears with her hooves.

“Oooh. We get to have a wedding! Oh, this is going to be so wonderful… Oh, and I guess we should really tell all our friends at some point, don’t you think? Maybe we can make a big announcement of it at the next conference!”

Applejack didn’t respond, her mind racing with all sorts of troubling implications. There was no possible way things had actually turned out the way they did because of that, was there? It was all just a silly legend, and it was all just a coincidence.

Right?

* * *

Applejack let out a sigh as she sat on the entranceway to the “Dragon-Mare Manor.” She had gotten into yet another fight with Rarity. It was all her own fault, of course. The stress and guilt was weighing heavily on her heart. Worse yet, this mansion seemed to have some sort of connection to that stupid legend from the Mareami museum, and it was getting harder and harder to deny the thought that she may have committed the ultimate sin.

Wallowing in her own misery, Applejack watched from a distance as a sky carriage slowly descended to the runway. Twilight stepped out, stumbling awkwardly as she pulled her bags from inside. At least it would be good to see her again. 

After sending the pegasus guards on their way, Twilight trotted briskly towards the mansion, waving cheerfully.

“Hey, Applejack! It’s good to see you!” Twilight said, beaming as she threw her forelegs around Applejack in a tight hug.

“Hey, Twi,” Applejack said, returning the hug before pulling away and sitting back down.

Twilight frowned, looking Applejack over. “You look a little down. Is something wrong?”

Applejack sighed, burying her face in her hooves. “I just got into yet another fight with Rarity, that’s all.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “ _Another_ fight? Just how often are you two together that this is a reoccuring problem?”

“Oh, right. Yeah, Rar and I have been dating since the last conference. Got engaged actually, few months back.”

Twilight’s mouth fell open and her wings extended in shock. “Buwaaaaaaahhhh,” she exclaimed elegantly. 

Applejack chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. “Right, shoot. Rarity wanted it to be a big announcement at dinner. Pretend like you’re surprised, okay?”

Twilight shook her head rapidly. “I’m sorry, wow! Congratulations? I’m happy for you! I mean, that is, if you’re happy…”

“I should be, Twi. I’m the luckiest mare alive. Or possibly the worst. It’s complicated.”

Glancing at Twilight’s confused expression, she added, “Don’t worry, it’s something I have to deal with on my own. How come Spike’s not with you?”

Twilight looked Applejack over worryingly, but decided to let the topic go for now. “He’s sick, I’m afraid. Nasty case of the dragon flu. He sends his love, and he wishes he could be a part of this.”

Applejack nodded as Twilight continued talking and they entered the mansion together.

This was going to be a difficult vacation.

In another world, in a building fabricated from nothing and located somewhere in the border between fiction and reality, two mares watched the scenes unfold before them.

On one side of an elaborately furnished lounge, Twilight Sparkle glared daggers at the other occupant. 

Looking to the windows, which showed a scene of Applejack and Twilight entering the mansion, Golden Wish turned to Twilight, gesturing at the chessboard laid out on the table in the center of the room. The chess pieces in back rows on either side were elaborately carved to resemble Twilight and her friends. 

“Well then, Twilight Sparkle. All the pieces are in place now.

“Are you ready to start the game?”


	15. Chapter 11 - Meta

Twilight awoke in darkness, her body seemingly floating in a formless void.

_So this is death, huh?_ The last thing she remembered was pain as the flames had surrounded her. Not exactly what she was expecting, but who really knew what came after the end? 

Reflexively she tried to move and found all of her appendages responding normally, although they flailed uselessly as she floated with no gravity to orient to. 

When she tried to channel some magic, she was greeted with a sharp stab of pain. She tried to cry out, but no sound escaped from her lips. She reached up to rub her aching horn with a hoof. 

So it caused ponies pain to try and cast magic in the afterlife? This was getting a little weird.

Twilight craned her neck around, tumbling slowly through the void as she desperately searched for any point she could fixate on. There, in the distance, she finally spotted a tiny glimmer of golden light.

She flapped her wings to try and maneuver through the darkness, but it was no use. There was no air for her wings to take purchase on, and her efforts just sent her into a nauseating spin. Oddly enough, she was still able to breathe.

Thankful for the additional balance her wings provided her, she eventually managed to stabilize herself out, and through some brief experimentation, figured out the mechanics of zero gravity movement.

While she couldn’t necessarily fly, with powerful wing thrusts she was able to use the momentum to propel herself through the void. The glint of golden light in the distance slowly grew larger.

As she began to pick up speed, she wondered if maybe this was a mistake, and she had just sent herself hurtling towards her doom. Well, more doomed than her current predicament, anyway. 

Drawing closer, the light revealed itself to be… just a formless light. Which was certainly odd, but better than a burning ball of plasma, she supposed. The light seemed to possess a gravity of its own, and she felt herself being pulled towards it, faster and faster. 

She closed her eyes and covered them with her hooves as the light became blinding. Warmth enveloped her before she suddenly crashed into something solid, her legs splaying out across the ground. 

She groaned, and realizing she had her voice back, pulled herself up and looked around. She seemed to be in a dark room of some sort; shadows of furniture silhouetted themselves against a large window that looked out into the void. 

“Glad you could make it, Twilight. Sorry about the landing. This isn’t exactly the most accessible of places.”

Light filled the room, and Twilight spun about to face the unfamiliar voice. A large golden alicorn with a short purple mane loomed over her.

“You!” Twilight snarled, lowering her head and attempting to fire up her magic. Once again, she was met with a sharp pain lancing through her horn and she cried out, knees buckling.

“Now, now. Is that any way to treat a host who has graciously invited you into her home?” Golden Wish asked, an arrogant smirk playing at her lips as she looked down at Twilight. 

With a roar, Twilight leapt to the side, diving for the nearby furniture. She grabbed a chair with her hooves and lifted it above her head. “You killed all my friends!” she shouted as she hurled the chair towards Golden Wish. 

As it sailed through the air, the chair flickered and vanished, re-appearing exactly where it had been before.

Golden Wish shook her head, clicking her tongue. “This isn’t exactly a place that fits the descriptor of “real”. Certainly not in the sense that you can go throwing things around or breaking them left and right.”

“You. Murdered. My. FRIENDS!” Twilight screamed, lowering her horn and charging as bloodlust filled her veins. 

As Twilight grew near, Golden Wish teleported to the other side of the room, and Twilight skidded to a halt.

“Did I, now?” Golden Wish asked, looking at one of her hooves as if she was bored. “That’s an awfully poignant accusation to be throwing around so casually. Do you have any proof?”

Twilight stared, her mouth hanging open. After everything that had happened, she had the gall to play dumb? “Are you seriously trying to deny that you did it?”

Golden Wish grinned, gesturing around the room. “Where do you think we are, Twilight?”

Twilight blinked, looking around. The room was pretty similar to the mansion’s lounge in style, the center of the room dominated by a pair of chairs and a small round table. Other than the gaping maw of darkness just outside the window, it was completely normal.

“Am I… dead?” Twilight asked, apprehension creeping into her voice.

“Yes and no. Perhaps. Depends on how you look at it. There are a lot of answers to a question like that Twilight, and this world is not a place of absolutes.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You’re not making sense.”

Golden Wish threw back her head and laughed, her arrogant cackle echoing across the room. “This is a world of in betweens. Right now you exist on the border of life and death. In between fiction and reality. Balanced on the edge of possibility and uncertainty.”

“Are you just making this up?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, how about this, then? Why am I here?”

“That one’s much easier,” Golden Wish said as she moved towards the table. “You’re here to play a game with me.”

With a golden glow of her horn, a chess set materialized on the table before them.

Twilight stared blankly. “So you killed all my friends and brought me to this existential nightmare… to play a game of chess?”

Golden Wish rolled her eyes. “The chess set is just a metaphor. The actual game is far grander than that.” With a flick of her horn, the outside of the window changed to show an image of the mansion. With each flash of her horn, the image changed again, showing Twilight arriving at the mansion, eating dinner with her friends, finding the bodies of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and many other horrible reminders of the recent past in rapid succession.

“Tell me, Twilight. Do you know what happened to you during those two days? What happened to your friends? How they were killed? Why? By whom?”

Growling, Twilight stomped a hoof. “You killed them all to enact some sort of horrible ritual or whatever, which is probably why I’m here. This is getting ridiculous. Why are we even having this conversation?”

Golden Wish let out a sigh, shaking her head and looking disappointed. “Do you KNOW that that’s the case? Can you state that with absolute certainty and conviction, and be willing to bet your life and the lives of your friends on that judgement? 

Twilight balked, her face scrunching up in confusion. “I… I don’t understand. What are you trying to get at? What other answer could there be?”

“That’s what I’m asking you,” Golden Wish said, smiling. “Let’s try something a little more specific, shall we?”

With another flash of her horn, the image outside the window changed back to the scene right before Twilight opened up the shed to find the nightmare within. 

“Now then. Do you remember anything odd about the construction of this crime? Maybe of the shed?”

Twilight frowned. There was something odd about it all, but she had been preoccupied at the time and hadn’t really devoted any time to thinking about it. “I never understood why there was the cutie mark in red paint on the door… or why there was a similar one on the library door.”

The scene continued to play, and Twilight watched as she used her telekinesis to tear the door off of its hinges. “That’s right… the door was locked, and we didn’t have the key. And I guess there was a chain lock on the inside too…”

Golden Wish threw back her head and laughed, grinning wickedly. “So tell me. How does a pony commit a murder behind a door that can only be locked from the inside?”

Twilight blinked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s not as if a chain lock is some impenetrable barrier. Any unicorn could easily lock or unlock it from the outside, or teleport in and out.”

“What if I told you that neither telekinesis nor teleportation were used to construct this closed room?”

“Then I’d call you a liar,” Twilight deadpanned.

“Humor me,” Golden Wish said with a yawn. “Really now, is one of Equestria’s greatest scholars unable to come up with any other solution?”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but couldn’t find the words. There were surely any number of ways to create a scenario like this. Just because she wasn’t aware of them off the top of her head didn’t mean they didn’t exist.

“There could be a secret panel in the back or in the floor or something,” Twilight offered up weakly.

Golden Wish snorted with contempt. “A hidden panel? Really? Did you see anything like that, hmm? Who would build a hidden panel like that in a garden shed?”

“Who would put a chain lock on a garden shed?” Twilight countered. “Something like that is no more ridiculous than anything else. Besides, there are probably ways a pony could set a chain lock from the outside using a wire, or maybe using a powerful magnet. Or just other spells besides telekinesis or teleportation. Just because it’s not something I’ve studied extensively doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”

“Tch,’ Golden Wish muttered. She held an odd expression for awhile, like she wanted to say something more but was holding herself back. “Whatever. It’s not like I planned to dwell on past tricks and puzzles. Not when I’ve created such a deviously delightful new gameboard for us to play with.”

“A new gameboard?” Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “Just what is that supposed to mean?”

Golden Wish bowed theatrically. “Another episode in the exciting adventures of Twilight and her friends in the murder mansion! When the bodies start to pile up, will Twilight be able to solve the mystery and save herself in time? Or will the cruel hands of fate crush her when the clock strikes midnight? The answer, Twilight, is up to you.”

Twilight snarled, fervently wishing she had access to her magic. “Is this all just some kind of sick joke? Just what kind of monster are you, anyway?”

Golden Wish’s expression darkened and she pursed her lips, staring down at Twilight in silence. After a long moment she turned away, moving towards the window. 

“I’m getting tired of explaining things to you, so I’m just going to go ahead and start the game. If you succumb to despair and give in now, I suppose I’ll be the winner, but I was rather hoping to crush you at your best,” Golden Wish said, turning back to sneer at Twilight.

“And if I refuse to play?” Twilight asked. 

"Then you give up on your only chance to find the truth and to, perhaps, change your fate."

Twilight stared, sizing up the alicorn before her. None of this made any sense whatsoever. But then again, common sense seemed to have flown out the window when she first touched down on the grounds of the mansion. 

She had gone ballistic when Golden Wish called her out at midnight, and been engulfed by the flames that had sprung up out of nowhere. With a pang of grief, Twilight realized that Rainbow Dash had likely been caught in the inferno as well.

"What's in this for you?" Twilight asked, keeping her voice steady. 

Golden Wish frowned, bringing a hoof to her chin. "What's in this for me? Why, the enjoyment of playing the game, of course! Boredom is poison to a being like me "

Twilight narrowed her eyes. It was a pretty obvious half-truth, but she somehow doubted she would get any more information out of the cackling alicorn in front of her.

"Fine. I'll play your game," Twilight said. Her stomach curled with the revulsion of accepting the terms of this... creature, but if there was any chance she could reverse this tragedy, she had to play along. At least for now.

Golden Wish smiled, perking up at Twilight's acquiescence. "Wonderful! I have quite the devious tale planned for you."

With a wave of her horn, the scene changed to show the inside of a familiar museum. “This time, our story starts a little earlier."

* * *

Twilight set the papers down, staring blankly as her mind reeled in confusion. 

"So, let me get this straight. There's Twilight Sparkle, trapped in a mansion of horrors. Then there's Twilight Sparkle, trapped in some sort of meta-plane of existence, watching over herself and her friends. And then there's me, sitting here reading about both of them. Is that all? Is there another Twilight out there somewhere reading about me?"

The only response she received was a long yawn from the cat and an adorably quiet snore from Fluttershy as she continued sleeping. 

Of all the possibilities she had imagined for a sequel, this was pretty far off the mark, and she had a feeling it was only going to get weirder. 

At least it had already made some things clearer. Applejack and Rarity's romance, while it still made her feel a bit uncomfortable, had fleshed out some of her unanswered questions and explained Applejack's behavior in the previous novel.

She wasn’t quite grasping the overall purpose to the narrative to the mystery, though. Or, for that matter, the nature of a mystery that involved meta-characters in a mystery arguing over the mystery. She supposed it didn't technically violate the rules of Knocks, but she doubted the old author would have particularly approved. Then again, it was still too early to really say.

Speaking of Knocks, Golden Wish had raised an interesting point about the scene of the first murder. Closed room tricks weren't exactly uncommon in the mystery genre, but unicorn magic tended to invalidate all but the most elaborate of rooms, so authors had to be careful when using them. She had noticed the closed room tricks before, but they hadn't been particularly emphasized by the narrative, and she hadn't given them much thought.

Would constructing such a room without magic really be possible? While Meta-Twilight had speculated on the possibility of a hidden panel, she had Fluttershy's admission that both novels followed Knocks, which meant that secret doors shouldn't be a factor. 

"I don't know," Twilight said with a sigh. "What do you think?"

The cat stared at her, blinking slowly before idly licking its paw.

Chuckling softly, Twilight turned to regard Fluttershy instead. The pegasus was curled up in a deep sleep, her chest rising and falling slowly, her smile content and peaceful.

Twilight was unable to stop herself from smiling at the sight. Whatever her misgivings about the content, Fluttershy had certainly created something unique. She felt strangely proud. This was a story she would likely never forget. 

She had a strong desire to wake her up and discuss these twists, but she resisted. Fluttershy had somehow gotten this all done in a single night and deserved her rest. For now, anyway. 

"What do you think is going to happen next?" Twilight asked. 

"Mrw."

"You're right. There's only one way to find out."

* * *

“Wow, congratulations, you two! I’m really happy for you!”

Having said her part, Twilight watched as the newly announced couple were showered in the congratulations and adoration of their friends.

Applejack had ruined the surprise earlier, but it had given Twilight a chance to think things over before the announcement. Two of her best friends were getting married out of the blue when she hadn’t even known they were dating. A lot of things were going to change, and it would take some time getting used to.

* * *

“I just don’t know what to do, Twilight. I love her so much, but something is eating her up inside, I can feel it. She keeps lashing out and won’t let me in. She’s the one who asked me, but I wonder if she’s really ready to get married after all…”

Twilight leaned her head back and sunk deeper into the hot springs, listening to Rarity’s side of things. She found herself fascinated by the shimmering radiance cast by her shield as the storm raged outside as she worked on piecing together her thoughts. Applejack had hinted at trouble in the relationship earlier, and that it was stemming from her side.

* * *

“That’s um, the end. I hope you all enjoyed it,” Fluttershy said, blushing.

Well, for a so-called ghost story, it wasn’t exactly what Twilight had been expecting. Still, she’d have to give an A for effort, even if it was rather summarized and with more than a few inconsistencies, besides. Something about the whole legend of Golden Wish was bothering her, though, and she wanted to take a chance to do some more research later.

* * *

Twilight let out a sigh and slumped her head against the table. She just wasn’t finding anything in these books about the legend Fluttershy had told. Maybe a few scraps here and there that might indicate at least some glimmer of truth, but nothing concrete and a lot of dead ends.

She was about to give it up and call it a night when she was interrupted by a knock on the door. 

“Hey, Twi, you got a minute?” Applejack asked, poking her head in the door.

“Sure! Did you need a book or something?” Twilight asked, perking up visibly. The distraction of a friend was just what she needed.

“Er, not exactly. I mean, you were looking up stuff on that story Shy told earlier, yeah? Did you find anything out?”

Twilight bit her lip. “I’m afraid not. And believe me, I’ve been looking.”

When relief washed over Applejack’s face, Twilight frowned, studying her closely. “Applejack, why are you so interested in this, anyway? I mean, my curiosity is purely academic, but you’ve been on edge ever since I got here. What’s the matter?”

Applejack lowered her head and pawed at the ground. “It’s… complicated, alright?”

Twilight closed her book, reaching out with her magic and

With a sigh, Applejack took off her hat and set it on the table before burying her head under her hooves. “You’ve gotta promise never to tell anypony.”

“Cupcake, eyes, yada yada, you know the drill,” Twilight said, waving a hoof dismissively. 

Applejack drummed her hoof on the table and traced idle circles along the grain in silence for a long while before she finally took a deep breath and shook her head. “You remember last year’s conference? Well, I was a little fixated on Rarity at the time, so I…”

***

“... I just can’t help but think I did it. That I forced Rarity t’love me because I’m a selfish fool. It was easy enough to dismiss as impossible, but with Fluttershy telling that story I’m going nuts. I just can’t think straight anymore. Please, Twi, you gotta help me.”

Twilight stared at Applejack, her mouth hanging open. This was a far more serious problem than she had expected, and dealing with this would require some very careful handling.

“Wow, Applejack, I’m so sorry. This must be destroying you inside. But even if something like this were true, I wouldn’t think you’re a bad pony. Even in the absolute worst case scenario, it’s nothing more than a tragic accident,” Twilight said, reaching out to rest a hoof on her shoulder.

“That ain’t no excuse,” Applejack spat bitterly. “I shoulda known better, and I shoulda – ”

Twilight cut her off by placing a hoof over her mouth. “You’ve had your chance to wallow in self pity for far too long. Let me tell you what I know about magic like this.”

Pulling her hoof away, Applejack nodded glumly and Twilight continued. “First off: compulsion magic powerful enough to force a pony to love another pony against their will doesn’t leave them much in the way of normal behavior. You remember that mess with your brother all those years ago. And I don’t know about you, but it seemed to me that Rarity still had plenty going on besides a mindless obsession with you.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Second: there are weaker types of compulsion magic that can give suggestions, plant ideas, or strengthen already existing feelings. Their influence tends to be a lot more subtle and more difficult to detect.”

“So you’re saying that I really did –”

“BUT ultimately the way magic works, going by what you described to me, there’s no way simply touching a bracelet could forcibly alter a pony’s will like that. At least, under the laws of any sort of magic I know of. It’s technically possible that a power like that could exist without me knowing, but what do you honestly think is more likely? That by touching a bracelet in a museum storeroom while happening to think of a particular pony it magically read your heart’s desire and forced that pony to be your love slave? Or that it’s just a coincidence, Rarity’s feelings for you are genuine, and you’re acting like a complete fool?”

Applejack flinched at Twilight’s verbal onslaught. “Wow, Twi. I like it simple and to the point, but when you use a lot of words, you really know how to overwhelm a pony, don’t ya?”

Twilight grinned, clapping Applejack on the shoulder. “And here’s something you won’t hear me say very often. You’re overthinking this. Look, no matter what really happened, you need to go talk to Rarity and tell her the truth. That’s your specialty. And disregarding a fantasy about wishes, your actions are hurting her right here and now. Do you love her?”

Applejack nodded and sighed as she put her hat back on. “I do. More than anything. Thanks, Twi. I reckon I needed a good kick to the rear.”

“Telling the truth isn’t always easy, but you know that,” Twilight said, nodding.

She watched as Applejack left the library and practically galloped down the hall. 

Once she was out of sight, Twilight let out a long sigh, allowing the tension to drain away. To think, beyond having just gotten into a serious relationship, Applejack had been carrying a mental burden like that for months now. Twilight was beginning to feel like she barely knew her friends anymore.

A nagging uncertainty tugged at her heart. For all her encouragement, Twilight wasn’t completely sold on the idea of the legend being total rubbish. With Applejack’s confirmation that the Mareami museum had once had an exhibit there, she might be able to find a few more clues by narrowing down her search a bit.

Looks like she wouldn’t be getting much sleep after all.

* * *

“Time is growing short, sister.”

Celestia kept her eyes closed, setting her teacup on the table gently. “I am well aware, Luna. This is not a tale that is likely to have a happy ending, no matter what we do.”

Luna let out a sigh, idly running a hoof around the edge of her teacup. “The game is rigged,” she muttered, pouting.

“Doesn’t that just make victory all the sweeter?” Celestia asked, grinning. “Besides. Our host has been ever so gracious to invite us all here. The least we can do is respect her wishes.”

“Oh Celestia. You always did have such a way with manners.”

As a new voice echoed across the study, the air began to shimmer and swirl, golden streaks of light twisting and coalescing into the shape of a third alicorn. 

“Look who decided to join us,” Luna said dryly, scooting over so Golden Wish could join them at the table.

Golden Wish beamed, smiling innocently at Luna. “I know we’re not technically related, but I really do feel like we’re a family, don’t you?”

Celestia chuckled. “Come now, Goldy. Stop teasing Luna. Your game is ready, is it not? Tell us about it.”

“It’s all about that ever surprising student of yours, of course,” Golden Wish said, pouring herself a cup of tea. “So energetic, such a passion for learning, and the bonds she shares with her friends are to die for. You picked a real winner.”

“So then why not let her be?” Luna spat bitterly. “Twilight has proven herself again and again. There’s no need for her to face your particular brand of barbarism.”

“Oh come now. It’s not that bad, is it? Besides, I get visitors so rarely this far out in the middle of nothingness. Can’t a princess let it go and live a little?”

As Luna continued to glower, their tea party was interrupted by a soft knocking. “Um, Princess Celestia? Princess Luna? Are you awake? I just wanted to see if you needed anything…”

“And that, ladies, is my cue to leave,” Golden Wish said, gulping down the rest of her tea and standing up. “That would be the yellow one, Fluttershy, yes? Pass this on for me, would you?”

As Golden Wish disappeared in a flash of golden light, a letter embossed with gold filigree fell down to the table with a clunk.

Fluttershy poked her head in the door. “Oh, um, you are awake. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all, dear Fluttershy,” Celestia said warmly. “Come in and join us for some tea. What keeps you up at this hour?”

Fluttershy entered and sat down. “Oh, um. I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided I’d stretch my legs a bit, and made the rounds about the mansion.” With a whimsical giggle, she added, “I um, passed by the library and caught Twilight asleep on top of a book.”

Celestia giggled, holding a hoof over her mouth. “My my. Five years a princess and sometimes she still acts just like the little filly I first met. She’d spend so many hours doing research and I often ended up carrying her to bed.”

Fluttershy smiled a distant look in her eyes. “It’s hard to imagine Twilight being that young. She’s changed so much over the years I’ve known her… but I guess at least some things stay the same…”

“You seemed troubled,” Luna said, staring at Fluttershy intently. “Does something ail you?”

“Oh, um,” Fluttershy mumbled, flinching slightly at the intensity of her gaze. “As much as I like it here, being in this mansion gives me bad dreams sometimes. And, well, I guess I just miss the way things used to be.”

“Ah, of course,” Celestia said, nodding. “Change. Sometimes it’s slow and calm, like a gentle stream, others times it’s disrupting fast, like a raging river. Whether you fight it or go with the flow. it will eventually overtake us all.”

Fluttershy nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. “How do think Twilight deals with it? She’s so… wise, now.”

"She is strong, but the mantle of leadership is heavy indeed. Her heart is just as vulnerable as anypony else's."

"I see..." Fluttershy said, nodding. "Thank you for the advice. I should really try and get some sleep myself."

"Before you go Fluttershy, take this." Celestia levitated the letter off of the table and offered it to her. "Give it to Twilight tomorrow morning. She’ll know what to do with it when the time comes.”

Fluttershy took the letter in her mouth, finding it surprisingly heavy. With a bow, she left, closing the door behind her. 

Luna turned to glare daggers at her sister. "Really? You're involving her, now?"

"We are all involved, whether we like it or not. None of us will be able to escape this cruel fate."

* * *

"Um, hey, Twilight..."

A soft whisper cut through the abyss of darkness, followed by a gentle prodding. 

"I, um, don't want to bother you or anything, but that looks pretty uncomfortable."

Twilight's eyes snapped open, and she found herself face to face with Fluttershy. 

“Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked and yanked her face back, stumbling over herself as she bumped into a nearby table. “I-I’m sorry, Twilight, I didn’t mean to wake you! Er, I did, but you looked really uncomfortable, so I thought it would be better if you went to bed…”

“What time is it?” Twilight mumbled, letting out a long yawn as she wiped the drool from her face. 

“It’s about two o’clock in the morning,” Fluttershy said, glancing up at the clock.

“Then how come you’re awake?” Twilight asked as she stood up and stretched her wings.

Fluttershy blushed, looking away. “I was having trouble sleeping. It really is great to see you all again.”

Twilight nodded and allowed Fluttershy to lead her out of the Library. “You know, I was really interested in that story you told earlier. I’ve never heard anything like it, which is kind of rare for me. Just where did you hear it, anyway? I could barely find anything in the library.”

“You really liked it? Oh, thank you, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, beaming. “But, um, I guess you could say I read about it in a book? I mean, kinda… I have it in my room.”

If only she had bothered to ask first, she could have saved herself hours. Still, research for the sake of research was never truly wasted. “That’s perfect! Can I borrow it?”

Fluttershy stopped in place, causing Twilight to turn back to her. “Um… I’m sorry Twilight, but no.”

Flinching from Twilight’s hurt expression she quickly added, “I mean, you need to get some sleep, Twilight. It’s much too late. I’ll lend it to you in the morning.”

Twilight chuckled, shaking her head. “I guess you’re right, but I’ll hold you to that. On another note, which room is Princess Celestia staying in, anyway? It’s a shame she missed dinner; there’s a lot I want to discuss with her.”

“Oh, it’s --” Fluttershy paused, holding a hoof up and straining her ears. After a few moments, Twilight could make out a muffled shouting.

Curious, Twilight followed the noise, ascending the stairs and moving past the ever looming portrait of Golden Wish. The shouting grew louder, and she could make out the angry voices of Applejack and Rarity, though she couldn’t quite catch what they were saying.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy mumbled, her face growing downcast.

They were fighting. Was it her fault? Had telling Applejack to be honest been the wrong thing to do? Should she do something? Stop them? For all the lessons on friendship she had learned, this situation didn’t appear to have an easy answer.

“Twilight…” Fluttershy said, pained empathy clear on her face. “What do we do?”

“I think…” Whether Applejack’s worries were groundless or based in truth, Twilight had really hoped that the pair would’ve been able to come to an understanding. But love was a different beast than friendship altogether. “I think we should let them work this out on their own. I don’t think barging in there would help either of them right now. We just have to be ready to offer our support when they need it later, okay?”

Fluttershy swallowed and wiped a tear from her eye, but nodded in agreement.

The two of them continued down the hall to their rooms, muffled shouting still echoing down the hall after them.


	16. Chapter 12 - Mirage Coordinator

Twilight yawned, setting the papers down before her. Now was as good of a time as any to get up and stretch for a bit. 

Despite her conviction, she was still a bit apprehensive about continuing. If Fluttershy's narrative was sticking to the same pattern, which it mostly had so far, then the first murder would likely be discovered shortly.

Who would it be this time? Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy again? Applejack? Rarity? Rainbow Dash? Maybe the princesses would be the first to go. 

And of course, the whole issue with the existence of Golden Wish in the first place. From a vague legend and threat hinted at in the first book to an explicitly cackling villain popping up everywhere and spouting all sorts of ominous nonsense in the second. She had no idea how she was supposed to be taking her role in the narrative anymore. Were all these scenes really supposed to be accepted at face value?

Twilight let out a sigh as she finished preparing a light snack, remembering to make a little extra in case Fluttershy woke up.

* * *

Golden Wish frowned in concentration, her hoof slowly making circles over the game board.

"You know, Twilight, when you keep glaring at me like that I can't really think straight. Why not smile a little? I thought you loved a good intellectual challenge."

Twilight sucked in a sharp breath, her nostrils flaring. Whatever this fight was going to entail, she couldn't afford to let herself get worked up anymore. If she was going to win, it would be through cold calculation and level headed logic. 

Given the subject matter, that was easier said than done.

"Just what... are you trying to show me here?" Twilight asked, trying to stop her hooves from shaking. "Do you really expect me to believe that Princess Celestia would be complicit in some sort of horrible game that puts us all in mortal danger?"

"Is your precious princess really as benevolent as you think she is?" Golden Wish asked, sneering down at her. "A thousand years alone is an awfully long time. Everypony has to find ways to cure the poison of boredom."

Twilight stomped a hoof and shook her head. "No. I know for a fact than she's better than that." As she moved to sit down, she turned back to Golden Wish with a sneer of her own. "Better than you."

Twilight awoke with a start as her bedroom window clattered open, a cold wind raging through the room, pushed inside by the howling storm. 

Groaning as she pulled herself deeper into her blankets, she reached out with her magic and forced the shutters closed. She could feel that the lock must have snapped, and with a bit of extra concentration fastened the window closed with a small bar of magical energy.

"I guess I overslept," Twilight muttered, her teeth chattering. The clock on the wall indicated if was almost noon. She supposed that's what happened when you stayed up all night doing research.

In an odd way it almost felt nostalgic. The duties of princess-hood left little time for life's simple pleasures. At least Fluttershy had saved her from sleeping all night in the library. Nostalgic or not, dealing with the fallout would have been a literal pain in the neck.

After taking a few minutes to run a brush through her mane, she opened her door and stepped out into the hall, almost immediately stumbling on something warm and soft. There was a low groan from below her, and Twilight looked down to see Applejack sprawled across the floor, empty cider bottles next to her.

“Too early…” Applejack muttered, grabbing her nearby hat and pulling it over her face.

Twilight’s heart sank at the state of her friend. Her face was streaked with weariness, exhaustion, and sorrow. Wordlessly, she reached out with her magic and levitated Applejack into the air. Her limbs flailed wildly, but Twilight waited until she calmed down and gently set her on her hooves, making sure she could stand up on her own before releasing the spell.

“Twilight, I…” Applejack choked. She looked like she wanted to cry, but didn’t have any tears left.

Twilight pulled her into a tight hug, and she felt Applejack go limp against her, shuddering with dry heaving sobs. 

“I’m a bad pony, Twi. An’ now Rarity knows it too. I suppose it’s all for the best, right? She deserves somepony far better than me.”

“There there,” Twilight muttered soothingly. She’d had less than twenty-four hours to get used to the idea of her friends getting married, and now it seemed like that would no longer be coming to pass. Was it her fault?

After a few more minutes, Applejack finally pulled away, taking deep, shuddering breaths before she finally got herself under control. “I’m sorry, Twi. Thanks. You’re a good friend. My head is spinning and I just can’t think straight.”

Twilight glanced at the bottles on the floor with a sour look. “How much did you drink?”

Applejack shook her head, wincing slightly. “I reckon I don’t quite remember. I went to tell her the truth like you said, and she didn’t take it well. Then I got all stupidly defensive and we both said some nasty things and then… well, she kicked me out. After that everything’s kind of a blur.”

“Why were you sleeping outside my door? There are plenty of unoccupied guest rooms, not to mention couches in the lounge.”

Applejack chuckled lightly, a bitter smile on her face as she picked up one of the empty bottles and spat into it, wiping at her tongue. “I vaguely remember just wanting to be near somepony. Anypony. Wanted help or advice or something. Probably got stuck at the door.”

“Did she actually…” Twilight paused. It didn’t feel right to address it so directly, but she didn’t want to move forward on a misunderstanding. “Did she actually leave you?”

Her eyes downcast, Applejack bit her lip, looking away. “Does it really matter? Even if she were stupid enough to forgive me, I ain’t willing to forgive myself.”

Twilight let out a sigh, shaking her head. “That’s what I thought you’d say. Look, you’re in no state to be thinking of anything so serious right now. How about we go downstairs to the kitchen, get some food and water in you, and maybe after lunch I’ll go have a nice long talk with Rarity while you calm down. The two of you are both grown mares. No matter what happened, and what the end result will be, I’m sure you can come to better resolution than this.”

“I ain’t really even hungry,” Applejack muttered, her eyes still glued to the floor.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight grit her teeth. With a stomp of her hoof, she fired up her horn, casting an ominous glow across the hallway. “Applejack…” she cooed sweetly. “You’re coming to the kitchen with me. Do you want to walk, or would you prefer to be carried?”

Applejack’s eyes went wide, and she swallowed nervously as Twilight bore down on her. “I uh, which way was the kitchen again?”

* * *

Twilight led Applejack into the kitchen and was pleased to find three of her friends there already enjoying lunch. 

“Hey you two,” Rainbow Dash called out with her mouth full. “Glad you finally decided to join us.” Rainbow swallowed her food, her grin slowly fading. “Geez, Applejack, you look like you just got bucked in the face. What’s up?”

“I, uh,” Applejack stammered, pawing at the ground. “It’s nothing. Well, it’s not, but I’ll tell y’all later. Right now I need some grub.”

“One fresh serving of grub, coming right up!” Pinkie Pie shouted, immediately tearing into the cabinets and throwing pans and food items all over the place.

“Um, Pinkie Pie, that’s not really necessary, there are still plenty of leftovers,” Fluttershy mumbled, watching as Pinkie worked on turning the kitchen into a disaster zone.

Twilight chuckled as she made her way across the room. She dodged a box of what appeared to be spaghetti as she moved next to Fluttershy to lean and whisper, “Hey, have you seen Rarity at all? I want to talk to her.”

Fluttershy’s expression fell as her gaze flickered over to Applejack, currently being pulled in two directions by both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. “Oh. It really was bad, huh?”

“I’m afraid so,” Twilight said, grimacing. “I just want to get to the bottom of this.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I haven’t seen her since last night, sorry.”

“Alright. I’ll be right back then, save some for me!” Twilight waved cheerfully at everypony else before teleporting away in a flash.

As she re-oriented, she was pleased to find that she had landed right outside of Rarity’s bedroom door. _Perfect_!

After taking a few moments to compose herself, Twilight reached up a hoof to knock loudly on the door. She froze, her eyes widening as her gaze fell upon what appeared to be three diamonds painted on the door in red. 

What in Equestria? Was this some kind of prank? She didn’t remember seeing anything like this before, but it’s not like she had gotten close enough to thoroughly inspect this particular door. 

A sudden pang of uncertain dread gripping at her heart, Twilight reached up and knocked on the door, perhaps a bit more urgently than she meant to. “Rarity? It’s me, Twilight. Are you okay in there? Can we talk for a bit?”

Twilight braced herself for the expected over the top theatrics Rarity was famous for, but no response came. Could Rarity have stepped out already? But where would she go? This was getting weird.

Twilight tried again, knocking on the door a little louder and trying the door handle. It was locked. “Rarity? Are you in there?”

There was still no response, and her worry deepened. This was strange, but probably nothing serious, right? Barging in there with her magic would definitely be an overreaction. 

Firing up her horn, she teleported again, arriving just outside of the kitchen. “Hey, Fluttershy, could you come here for a minute?” Twilight asked, poking her head in the doorway.

Fluttershy blinked, drying her hooves with a washcloth and stepping away from the sink. “Um, okay, just give me a second.”

When Fluttershy moved closer, Twilight pulled her out into the hallway, checking to make sure the others weren’t paying attention. “Hey. This is probably nothing, but Rarity’s door had a strange mark on it and she’s not responding. Do you know if there’s an extra key or something I can use, just to check on her?”

Fluttershy blanched, glancing around nervously. “S-strange mark…? There should be an extra key for her room, I can show you where it’s normally kept.”

Sensing Twilight’s urgency, Fluttershy quickly led her through the halls to a large pantry somewhere on the first floor.

“There’s a cabinet in here that contains all the extra keys for the mansion,” Fluttershy said, pulling open the cabinet doors and gesturing towards the rows of keys hanging on hooks. “Most of them are unlabeled, but I’m pretty sure this one is Rarity’s.”

“Um, Fluttershy? There’s nothing there,” Twilight said, eying the empty hook.

Fluttershy blinked, doing a double-take. “B-but I’m positive this is the right one…”

“Could somepony else have taken it?”

Fluttershy frowned, shaking her head. “I guess it’s technically possible. Nopony besides me really knows this is here though, and unless they grabbed it at random, I don’t see how they could have known it was Rarity’s. “

Twilight cursed under her breath. “I guess I’ll just go invite myself in with magic. Thanks, Fluttershy!”

As Twilight prepared to teleport away, Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder, stopping her. “Um, I kind of forgot until now, but I was given this letter last night when I was visiting the Princess’ study, and I was supposed to give it to you this morning...”

A letter? Twilight took the offered envelope from Fluttershy, finding it strangely heavy and lumpy. _Wait, there’s no way it could be…_

Twilight quickly tore open the wax seal on the envelope and turned it upside-down. A folded letter and a small metallic object fell out, clattering to the ground. 

"That's the right key," Fluttershy said, her eyes wide. "But...?"

Wasting no time, Twilight levitated the key beside her and teleported away, leaving the letter and a confused Fluttershy behind. 

"Rarity?" Twilight called out, banging on the door loudly. "If you're in there please say something! I've got a key, and I’m letting myself in!"

Turning the key, Twilight slowly pushed the door open. A cold wind greeted her as the light from the hallway flooded into the room. 

Twilight took a hesitant step inside, finding the room to be near freezing. It was filled with ghostly figures; ponykins stood all about covered in unfinished dresses, the scraps of fabric dancing slowly in the breeze.

"Rarity? Hello?" Twilight's voice felt small, and she could clearly make out the wailing of the storm outside. Did Rarity leave her window open?

Thick, dark curtains covered the windows, and none of the lamps were lit. Twilight illuminated her horn and slowly made her way through the sea of cloth. She could see that one of the curtains was moving more than the others, likely the source of the draft. 

One of the dresses brushed against her flank and she shivered, the cloth like ice against her fur. Just how long had the window been open?

"Rarity? Come on, please say something. This isn't funny..." Her voice felt small and weak, the oppressive atmosphere pressing down on her as she lifted the wayward curtain aside to inspect the window behind.

The glass was cracked, as if it had been struck by something heavy. A large shard of glass about two inches wide had fallen out of the frame, and the wind was whistling through the gap. Well, that answered one question, but what had caused the break? Judging by the pattern, it probably came from the inside. 

With a flash of magic, Twilight gathered up the glass and fixed the window with a quick mending spell. She shivered in relief as the cold wind abated, before turning back around.

The mass of ponykins loomed in around her, and she could barely make out which way she had come from. Grumbling, she pushed forward, roughly shoving them out of her way. Just what had possessed Rarity to bring so many —

Her hoof slipped on something wet and slick.

"Stop, just stop! I get the point, alright? There's no need to go any further. I get the point! You can skip the details!” Twilight growled, clenching her teeth together so hard they hurt.

“Buuut Twiiiiiliiiiiight….” Golden Wish said, drawing out her words in a whining, childlike drawl. “This is a myyyyyyssssterrry! You want to solve it, don’t you, Twilight? You want to wiiin, don’t you, Twilight? Then look! See everything there is to see! Leave no body part unturned, find every clue, find the truth, and utterly annihilate me! If. You. Caaaaaaaan!”

“This is sick, you’re sick!” Twilight screamed, tears stinging her eyes. “The lives of my friends are not just pieces on a chessboard!” 

Twilight knocked the board to the floor, but it merely re-materialized on the table a few seconds later. Golden Wish’s harsh laughter reverberated around the small room, assaulting Twilight from every possible angle as she tried to deny this reality.

Twilight froze, her eyes locked straight ahead, unwilling to bring her gaze downwards. It had to be something else, right? It was just something silly she had gotten all worked up over, and later everypony would be laughing about what a crazy misunderstanding this all was.

The metallic scent of blood filled her nostrils. Twilight looked down to the floor, and her scream echoed across the mansion.

* * *

“Come on, it’s right up here!”

Applejack sprinted up the stairs and around the corner, everypony else close behind her. They had all heard Twilight’s scream from the kitchen, and when Fluttershy had mentioned that she went to Rarity’s room…

As Applejack rounded the corner, she began to make out Twi’s voice, high pitched and torn between wracking sobs and incoherent babbling. 

“Twilight, we’re coming!” Rainbow Dash cried out.

The sobbing stopped all of a sudden, and as Applejack skidded to make the turn into the room, Twilight appeared in a flash, planting herself between them and the entrance, spreading her wings to block it off.

“No, you can’t go in there!” Twilight was trembling, her face streaked with tears, and her eyes were filled with a horror that spoke volumes. 

An iron vice clamped around Applejack’s heart.

“T-Twi… Where’s Rarity? She’s okay, right?” Her voice felt hollow, like it was coming from a different place. Her body moved forward, trying to shove its way past Twilight, but there was flash of light, and she found herself pushed back against the wall.

“Come on, Twi, what’s going on? Say something!” Rainbow Dash shouted. She tried to fly over Twilight, but she too was thrown against the wall with telekinesis, before a magical barrier was erected over the doorway entirely. 

“Please… just don’t… you don’t want to see…” Twilight mumbled as she stood there, legs shaking.

Don’t want to see… don’t want to see what? Twilight didn’t want her to see…

Rarity.

Twilight didn’t want her to see Rarity. Why didn’t she want her to see Rarity? 

Because…

She was…

With a primal scream, Applejack lunged forward, barreling past Twilight and spun around, bucking the barrier harder than she’d bucked anything in her life. 

To the considerable surprise of Twilight, the shield shattered, and Applejack rushed to the side of the bed. She would be there.

Rarity. The love of her life. The mare she’d give anything for. How had she always described her?

Beautiful. _Broken._

Pristine. _Beaten_.

Flawless. _Shattered._

Elegant. _Bloody._

Energetic. _Dead._

Dead. Dead. Dead. Rarity was dead. Right in front of her. The dead body of the mare she had loved, laughed with, with whom she had shared her meals, her bed, her future. It was all gone now, gone forever. 

And what remained in front of her was so broken, so bloody. What was left of her was twisted in unnatural ways, shattered in places that were meant to be whole. And her face. Sweet Celestia, her face. She couldn’t recognize it anymore. She’d never be able to see her again. Every happy memory in her life was being replaced by the image of this twisted red and white lump before her. 

Dimly, the rest of the world slowly filtered its way back into Applejack’s senses. She heard Rainbow Dash retching in the corner and turned to see Fluttershy bawling into the chest of Pinkie Pie, the normally chipper party pony looking sadder than she’d ever seen her. Twilight stood in the doorway. Her eyes were wide, and she seemed to be saying something. 

“I’m sorry.”

"So," Twilight spat. "This is your game, then. Showing me my friends, dead and broken, their abject grief and suffering. To what end? Do you think I'm going to break just like that? Do you think you'll be able to win if you just throw tasteless nightmares at me over and over again?"

Twilight met Golden Wish's sneer with a defiant gaze of her own. Watching that had hurt. A lot. But it hadn't been all that long ago she'd been living through that horror herself. Somehow she'd survived, if you could call this living, and was here to face it all again from a higher perspective. The Twilight down there was just like the her from only a few days ago, suddenly thrust into a nightmare with no hope of a way out. 

But from above, she stood a chance. 

"Your first move," Twilight said levelly as she studied the chessboard. "Is it over? Can we begin?"

Golden Wish blinked, looking somewhat surprised by her abruptness. "Er, well, there are a few important scenes left. I guess if you're _that_ eager to get started, I can summarize a bit."

Twilight picked up the metal key from the dresser next to Rarity's bed. There was a small tag on the end, marked with the room number. 

"This is...?" Twilight asked, and Fluttershy nodded solemnly.

* * *

"Um, Twilight, I don't think you're going to like this, but this was a part of that letter you dropped earlier," Fluttershy said, pulling a folded piece of paper from her mane.

Twilight took the letter, looking it over. That’s right, there had been a paper with the key too. Just why had Celestia given her these, anyway? It didn’t make any sense. When she unfolded and read the letter, she found the words to be familiar.

  
“From a wish sprouts a seed of power  
To grant your heart's deepest desire  
Bless this seed with your greatest love  
But this love must be born in blood  
In death lies truth – the heart laid bare“

"Do you like it, Twilight?" Golden Wish asked, practically giddy with delight. “This is all just for you, you know. The elegance, the superb craftsmanship; there's an awful lot of work that goes into creating the perfect closed room!"

Twilight snorted, rolling her eyes. "I'm flattered," she said dryly, "but if you think this closed room is ‘perfect’, you're sadly mistaken."

Golden Wish's smile faltered, and she narrowed her eyes. "Oh? What does the Great and Powerful Twilight Sparkle have to say about it?"

"Well, one, don't call me that," Twilight said curtly. "Two, there's no such thing as a perfect closed room to begin with. Every question has an answer, whether we know it or not."

"Oh? Do you actually have an answer then, or are you going to be arguing from a position of ignorance?"

"Have you ever heard of the concept used in formal logic known as a Nightmare's Proof?” Twilight asked. She received a bored looking wave of a hoof in response and decided to continue. "While the name has become somewhat outdated in recent years, it originally stated that the existence of Nightmare Moon is easy to prove. All she would have to do is appear and shout ‘The night will last forever!’ and ponies would accept that as proof of her existence.

"But the inverse is not as simple. You can't offer proof that Nightmare Moon doesn't exist, because you can always make the claim that she's hiding somewhere where ponies can't detect her. Like say, the moon."

Twilight finished her lecture, feeling rather pleased at the scowl she was receiving in return. Maybe it wasn't right to inwardly gloat over small victories, but given the nature of her situation, it seemed appropriate. The time for 'being the better mare' was long past. This was personal.

"Is that all?" Golden Wish asked, looking annoyed. "The crux of your argument is going to be 'you can't prove a negative'?"

"What other angle is there?" Twilight countered, motioning towards the board. "We have Rarity, savagely beaten to death in her own room, likely bare-hooved. One key is locked inside the room, the other is placed inside a letter, passed on to Princess Celestia, then Fluttershy, and then it finally ends up in my hooves." 

Twilight reached down and moved one of the pawns forward. "But that's it. Even completely disregarding the use of magic, there could easily be a duplicate key nopony knows about. Or a hidden door. Or maybe the windows. Or somepony was able to pick the lock. Whatever unknown method X was used to get in, it's not that hard to get past a locked door. It's a Nightmare's Proof. You can't prove that this room is 'closed' to begin with."

Golden Wish stared at Twilight levelly, holding her gaze for a long moment, before she slowly cracked a smile. Unable to hold it back anymore, a small giggle escaped from her lips, which quickly grew into a chuckle, then a guffaw, then she finally threw her head back in a full blown villainous cackle.

"Oh Twilight. Poor, naive Twilight," she said when she was done, wiping a tear from her eye. She suddenly lurched forward, slamming her hooves on the table and leaning in uncomfortably close as her face twisted into a disgusting mockery of joy. "This is going to be fun!"


	17. Chapter 13 - Chains of Red

_Authors note: This chapter and those following it makes heavy use of formatting not supported by this site. If you would like to read the story as it is intended to be read, please visit http://www.fimfiction.net/story/163482/the-heart-of-an-author_

* * *

"I'm almost disappointed, really," Golden Wish said as she idly inspected a hoof. "You don't have enough information for proper reasoning? That's a stalling tactic if I've ever heard one. But if you want to get into a threefold repetition, I suppose we can both sit here until we die of old age."

With a glance to her horn, she added, "That might be a bit."

Twilight ground her teeth, taking a deep breath. Her mannerisms were so needlessly infuriating that it became hard to think straight. Which, she supposed, was probably the point. 

"Just what else are you suggesting?" Twilight asked. "This game of yours is so poorly defined, and it's not like I have a rulebook to work with here. With what you've given me so far, an endless draw seems like the only logical outcome."

"You could always surrender now!" Golden Wish suggested cheerfully. At Twilight's flat expression, she added, "Oh lighten up. You are right, though. I think it's about time I introduced some new rules that will make this interesting."

"New rules?" Twilight scowled, glancing down at the board. "This is your domain, after all. Let me guess: You'll be telling me that your ace and a two is a winning hand that beats my three of a kind because of some arbitrary reason and that I'm just a naive newbie who's supposed to accept that."

"Twilight!" Golden Wish gasped, looking offended. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for the spirit of fair competition. Also, can we stick to chess metaphors? I've kind of got a motif going on here and I don't want it to get too confusing."

Twilight ground her teeth even harder, idly anticipating a stern lecture from her dentist. If she would ever even have the chance to face such mundane difficulties again, that is. "Just get on with it."

“Very well.” Golden Wish waved her hoof, and the arrangement on the board reverted back to an earlier configuration. “Since your primary argument is that there isn’t enough information to work with and that I cannot prove that this is really a closed room, I will now do so.”

Golden Wish closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them as a brilliant red flash emanated from her horn. “ **[Red]Everything I speak in red is the truth[/Red]**! There’s absolutely no need to doubt it!”

The room pulsed, and Twilight flinched backwards from the force of the magic. She could _feel_ the weight of the spell being used, at the inherent value of truth in those words. “Are you saying you want me to just accept that?” Twilight asked, her voice a low growl.

“This is a game between the two of us, isn’t it? In a game, the rules are sacred! If you can’t even accept that basic premise, then you’re not qualified to be my opponent.”

“Fine, I accept your rule,” Twilight said, already running through the possibilities in her mind. “I think I can see what you’re getting at here, anyway. I’ll start with something simple. The culprit used magic to enter the room, commit the crime, and leave the room, bypassing the locked door entirely. The type of magic is irrelevant.” 

“A good start, but useless!” Golden Wish said, grinning wickedly. “ **[Red]Unicorn magic in no way factored into the commission of this crime or the construction of this closed room[/Red]**."

“Can you offer any proof to that claim?” Twilight asked, immediately countering. 

Golden Wish held up a hoof, shaking her head. “Stop there. Let me give an addendum to this rule. When I speak the truth, I will use the red, but I do not bear the responsibility of establishing that by showing proof. It is simply an undeniable fact.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, but nodded in acquiescence. “Something like that allows you to make some pretty outlandish claims, but don’t think that’ll be enough to stop me. Since you specified unicorn magic, I assume alicorn magic is free game then?”

“Ohoho, perhaps it is. Tell me Twilight, what Alicorn-only magic do you know of that could accomplish something like this, but be completely out of the reach of mere unicorns? Do you know of some magnificent spell that you could only cast after becoming a princess that you couldn’t before?”

“I…” Twilight faltered, wracking her brain and combing through her vast repertoire of magic. The distinction between the lower and higher levels of magic was a fine one, and any spell capable of creating a locked room tended to be on the lower end of the spectrum. “What about, say, the ability to grant wishes? There’s no end to the amount of tricks you could pull with something like that.”

“What about it?” Golden wish asked with a yawn. “I won’t even bother to acknowledge such a lazy accusation. I’m not obligated to say any particular statement in red, after all.”

Twilight stomped a hoof and opened her mouth to retort, but stopped herself, considering. This probably wasn’t the right angle of attack to be pursuing right now. “Fine then. The culprit entered through a hidden door.”

“Hidden doors? Pffft. Knocks would be rolling in his grave if he could hear you now. **[Red]There is only one door to Rarity’s room[/Red]**.”

Twilight nodded, drumming her hoof on the table. “What about things that aren’t doors? Somepony could have used the windows, or maybe somepony took the door off its hinges without unlocking it.”

Golden Wish threw back her head and laughed. “ **[Red]Everypony that entered or exited Rarity’s bedroom in the past forty-eight hours did so via the door and used it like doors are normally used[/Red]**. Come on, Twilight, are you even trying here?”

“Hold it. Define pony,” Twilight said, raising a hoof. “What about a dragon, or a griffin?”

“Oh, you’re right. A bit of an oversight on my part,” Golden Wish said, blushing slightly. “ **[Red]For the purposes of this game, ‘pony’ refers to any sapient creature capable of free will[/Red]**.” 

Twilight grinned. “That’s just what I wanted to hear. I’m just getting started, _Goldy_ , and I hope you’re prepared to lose. Let’s talk about the keys, shall we?”

Golden Wish sputtered, her mouth working itself in silent rage. “G-Goldy!?” she finally spat out, her composure totally lost. “What makes you think you have any right to call me that?”

"Golden Wish is a bit of a mouthful, don't you think?" Twilight asked, feigning sweetness. "It suits you much better, I think." As much as this was a game of twisted logic, psychological warfare seemed to be a key component as well.

"What about the keys? Can you guarantee that there are only two, and no duplicates?" 

Golden Wish glared at her, her mouth twisted in a indignant pout before shaking her head fiercely. "You seem awfully sure of yourself, Twilight, but I'm just going to cut down every position you have to stand on! **[Red]There are only two keys that can lock or unlock the door to Rarity's bedroom[/Red]**. Furthermore, **[Red]the door can only be locked or unlocked with one of the two keys[/Red]**."

Twilight frowned. No extra keys, no hidden doors, no magic, no lockpicking. While some of the restrictions given by the red truth were arbitrary and untenable in reality, for now they were the rules of the games she had to abide by. 

In a basic scenario, Culprit X enters the room, kills Rarity, leaves, and locks the door. Rarity's key was locked inside the room, so that couldn't be it. The other key was placed into an envelope, given to Fluttershy, and eventually made it to her hooves. Perhaps the loophole was there. 

Twilight bit her lip, frantically studying the board. With every move she was getting closer and closer to a losing checkmate. Every blade of red sliced away another possible answer. In theory, that should eventually leave her with the right answer. There _was_ a right answer, wasn’t there? But this test wasn’t multiple choice, and if she wasn’t able to deduce the solution…

“Come on Twilight, what’s wrong?” Golden Wish said, leaning forward and cackling gleefully. “Don’t you have an answer for me? Maybe I just wished everypony through the door with my alicorn magic! Would you be satisfied with that? Maybe if you kneel and kiss my hoof I’ll give you a hint!”

Twilight planted her face on the table, pulling at her mane with her hooves. There had to be something she was missing. The chess pieces all seemed to blur together as her mind went into overdrive. 

That’s right. She needed to change perspective. Observe the board not from where she was sitting, but from her opponent’s angle. Turn the chessboard around. Asking how this could possibly be a closed room was meaningless. The question to be asked is how could something be made to _look_ like a closed room.

"Why even bother with the envelope in the first place? Seems like an an awfully convoluted way to get me in possession of the necessary key."

"What can I say?" Golden Wish asked, bowing theatrically. "Ridiculously complicated is sort of my style."

"I've noticed," Twilight said, rolling her eyes. "But can you repeat this in red? From the time she received the letter to the time I received it, the letter remained under Fluttershy's supervision.”

Golden Wish opened her mouth and her horn began to light up, but she stopped, frowning. “No… I can’t, actually. I refuse.”

“You refuse? Isn’t that the same as admitting I’m right?”

“Not at all,” Golden Wish said, shaking her head. “It’s just that the term ‘under Fluttershy’s supervision’ is too vague. She was sleeping last night, right? How could she possibly have kept an eye on it the entire time?”

“So there is a window, then.” Twilight said with a grin. “It’s like this, then. We saw you giving Celestia a letter which was then given to Fluttershy. It appeared to contain the key to Rarity’s bedroom. At the time, Fluttershy must have realized there was at least something similar to a key inside of it. But there’s no way she could have known it was this key.”

“Hoh? Just what are you getting at, here?”

“The key Fluttershy received and the key I received… were they the same?” Glancing over her opponent, Twilight felt her grin grow wider. “What’s the matter, Goldy? You look like something bit you in an uncomfortable place.”

Golden Wish grimaced, clenching her teeth. “You think the envelope contained a fake, and somepony switched it later, do you? Very well… **[Red]The key to Rarity’s bedroom was in the envelope Fluttershy received[/Red]**."

The red light from the spell glinted off of Twilight's eyes, and she pressed forward. “Just go ahead and repeat this, then. The envelope Fluttershy received and the envelope given to me were the same!"

"Don't think you have any reason to be gloating!" Golden Wish said with a snarl. "[Red] **The envelope Fluttershy received and the envelope you received were the same** [/Red]."

There it was. The gap she was looking for. 

"I'm, sorry, Goldy, but this is checkmate."

"W-what?!"

"Repeat this in red! From the time Fluttershy received the envelope till the time I opened it, nopony else had a chance to handle it!"

Golden Wish hissed sharply. "You..."

Twilight slammed her hooves down on the table, the pieces on the chessboard rattling slightly. "It's like this, isn't it? Fluttershy recieved the letter, I spoke with her, and then she probably went straight to bed. It's not like she would sleep with it on her, so it's likely she would have put it on her bedside table. At any point then, somepony could have crept in, taken the key from the envelope, used it to commit the crime, and returned it, with Fluttershy none the wiser!"

"Hold on!" Golden Wish shouted, her face betraying a sense of desperate panic. "The letter was sealed with wax, as you saw!"

Twilight snorted, shaking her head. "Pathetic. A seal of wax is hardly an unbreakable barrier. With a little bit of know-how, anypony can unseal and reseal a letter, even without magic! While not bad, this closed room trick is pretty far from perfect!"

"Twiiiiliiiight!" Golden Wish snarled, stomping a hoof. "Fine! Just who are you suggesting crept in and swapped the keys, then? Was it your precious Princess Celestia? Or poor heartbroken Applejack? Or maybe it was dear little Fluttershy herself!"

"Nope," Twilight said, shaking her head. “As barely tolerant as I am of playing this game about the lives of my friends in the first place, I won't allow you to slander the friendship we all share! I'll tear your closed rooms apart, but the exact identity of "Culprit X" is irrelevant at this time."

Golden Wish closed her eyes and stood there shaking, and Twilight could practically see the rage pouring off of her. After a long minute she finally let out a deep sigh and shook her head, her right hoof still twitching slightly. 

"... Very well. I resign. This is your win, Twilight Sparkle. But don't think this is over! That was just round one! Practically just a tutorial! I'm glad to see you're an opponent worthy of my best!"

"Whatever you throw at me," Twilight said, her level state burning with determination. "I won't lose. I don't know what you stand to get from all of this, Gold, but if you seriously think that you'll win when my friends are on the line, you failed to do your research."

* * *

Twilight took a deep breath, closing her eyes before exhaling slowly. Every new page seemed to bring even crazier twists and turns into this warped narrative. The page below her, filled with scattered words of red ink like the overzealous efforts of a vindictive grader, spoke volumes about how far off the rails this train had gotten. Was this the product of a depressed and sleep addled Fluttershy’s mindset? Or a sincere attempt at communicating an explicit puzzle in a unique fashion? Should she expect to see later chapters lit up with the entire spectrum of the rainbow?

Still, the concept of an absolute truth spell being used to define limits and set boundaries was definitely an intriguing one. Each red word was like a personal message from the author herself, as if it were saying “This isn’t the solution, try something else.” Although for a more realistic analogue, she was certain she’d read something about a spell that allowed only absolute truth to be spoken, and –

Twilight’s train of thought was interrupted by a thundering boom from overhead, almost immediately followed by the sound of shattering glass and a spectacular crash coming from her kitchen, pots and pans bursting from her shelves to clatter all over her floor. Wind rushed out from the kitchen door, and she strengthened her telekinesis on the papers so that none were blown out of place. The cat leapt to her feet, hissing loudly and arching its back before dashing off and diving for cover under some furniture. 

She heard a familiar groan coming from her kitchen, and Twilight let out a sigh, shaking her head. “Rainbow Dash, are you alright in there?” she called out, neatly setting the story aside and standing up. 

“Wh-wha…?”” Fluttershy mumbled, her dreary eyes half lidded and looking around in confusion. “What’s going on?”

Twilight poked her head into the kitchen and saw Rainbow Dash slowly extracting herself from the remains of her cupboard, occasionally picking splinters out of her wings. 

“Oh, hey, Twi. Sorry about that. Trick gone bad, you know?” Rainbow Dash said, a sheepish grin across her face. 

“It’s been ages since you’ve messed up a trick so badly you ended up destroying a part of my house,” Twilight said, trying to keep her expression neutral. “Probably not the best thing to go around getting nostalgic for.”

Rainbow Dash stood up, wincing slightly and shaking the rest of the dust and debris from her. “Aww, come on, Twi, it’s not that bad, is it?” With a glance around the kitchen, she quickly added, “I mean, I’ll help clean it up and everything, eheh…”

Twilight let out another sigh, stepping forward and firing up her horn. "I appreciate the offer, but most of these pans belong in very specific spots, and Spike would throw a fit if they got messed up."

As she expanded her field of magic and turned the kitchen into a whirlwind of iron, ceramic, and wood, an image flashed into her mind of a heartbroken Twilight carrying a wounded Rainbow Dash through the snow. "I'm glad you're not hurt, though," she said, her voice soft.

Rainbow Dash blushed slightly. "This is me we're talking about here, Twilight. Takes a lot more than a measly crash to stop the amazing Rainbow Dash!" 

Ducking under the last frying pan as it was levitated neatly onto its shelf, Rainbow Dash stared at the now pristine kitchen with awe. "Wow, when you go all out, you really go all out, huh?"

Twilight smiled, admiring her handiwork. "Magic has its perks. Anyway, you wanna stay for a while? I've got snacks out already for –"

"Oh, hey Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash said, interrupting Twilight. "What're you doing here?"

"Napping, I guess?" Fluttershy said, yawning softly and rubbing at her eyes before leaning forward in a long stretch, her bones popping audibly. 

"Napping?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know, I'm all for napping, but I prefer clouds over, say, Twilight's floor."

Fluttershy smiled, her eyes somewhat unfocused as she yawned again. "Oh, it's quite nice here. Very quiet. My house can get pretty noisy when the animals are awake, and, um, I don't feel comfortable sleeping outside. Oh, but what brings you here, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash grinned widely and she flexed her wings. "I was out hanging with Applejack, discussing some crazy dares, and she told me 'I ain't never heard of nopony who ever managed to go faster than light.' I wasn't about to take a challenge like that lying down! But uh, it didn't work too well. This time, anyway."

"Um, Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy mumbled glancing over at Twilight. 

"The reason she'd never heard of anypony going faster than light," Twilight said, reaching up to massage her temple with a hoof, "is because it's literally impossible. Under our current understanding of physics, the amount of energy required to break light speed is practically infinite. Certainly not attainable under wing power, no matter how good of a flier you are." With a shake of her head, she added, "Pretty sure even Applejack understands that, at least to some extent. Sorry, Rainbow, but you got tricked."

"Are you kidding me! You're saying Applejack lied to me?"

"No, she told you the truth, Rainbow," Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "But, um, some truths are more truthful than others? If that makes any sense."

Rainbow Dash frowned, her brow furrowing in thought. "I guess I see what you mean. Whatever, I'll find a way to prank her back. Sorry about the kitchen, Twilight. Later!”

Twilight smiled ruefully, watching Rainbow Dash speed out an open window. "Well, that was a fun distraction. How're you feeling, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy blushed slightly, a smile on her face. "Oh, I'm feeling much better now, thanks for asking. It was a good nap. Um, how's the story coming along?"

"Well, I just finished the part where 'truth in red' is introduced as a mechanic," Twilight said as the two of them left the kitchen. "This multiple layers of stories thing is getting hard to fully wrap my head around, I'm still torn up when it comes to reading about my friends getting hurt, and the logic used is practically dizzying."

Fluttershy's face fell. "Oh..."

Twilight grinned, nudging Fluttershy playfully. "And for some reason, I want nothing more than to know what happens next. It's weird, but very unique. I really had no idea that you were capable of something like this. It's always a surprise when you find a side of a close friend that you never knew existed, right?"

"I see..." Fluttershy said, her face neutral. "It's, um, hard to explain, but there's a lot going into all of this."

"No kidding," Twilight said, nodding emphatically. "Speaking of, what Rainbow Dash said earlier made me think about the nature of truth, and I wanted to try something."

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, watching as Twilight began scanning the bookshelves back and forth before pulling out a well used tome.

"Let's see here..." Twilight mumbled, flipping through the pages. "Ah, here we are. A truth spell. Hmm, can only be cast as a personal spell, though."

"W-wow. I didn't think anything like that actually existed," Fluttershy said, her eyes wide.

"I mean, it's not going to make me speak in red or anything," Twilight said with a grin. "Although I could mimic the special effects with other spells. Anyway, let me give this a shot."

Twilight ran through the spell in her mind, focusing her magic as energy began to swirl around her. She felt it pull inwards, settling around her throat with a light pressure before dissipating. A strange tingling crept up her horn. 

"My name is Rainbow Dash," Twilight lied, testing the spell. So far so good. Channeling her magic again, she focused her energy on the strange sensation in her horn and decided to add in a small special effect for good measure. 

" **[Red]My name is Twilight Sparkle[/Red]!** "There was an odd sense of force to her words when the spell took effect, and the room lit up from the brilliant red flash from her horn. Fluttershy gasped, staring with awe.

Emboldened, Twilight tried again. " **[Red]My name is Rain[/Red]** —" Her throat seized up, her eyes bugging out as she was forced into a coughing fit. 

"Twilight, are you okay!?" Fluttershy immediately rushed to her side and offered a glass of water. 

Twilight drank greedily, polishing off the glass and wiping her mouth with a sigh. "Wow... That was unpleasant," Twilight mumbled, her voice raspy. 

"Um, are you sure this spell is safe to use?" Fluttershy asked, glancing about nervously.

Twilight shook her head. "No idea. I have to actively focus my magic through it to say something truthful, but there's backlash if I try to combine it with a lie. Though I suppose it has to be a lie known to me. Let's try again.

" **[Red]My name is Twilight Sparkle[/Red]**.

" **[Red]My coat is purple[/Red]**.

" **[Red]My coat is lavender[/Red]**.

" **[Red]My coat is not purple, but lavender[/Red]**.

" **[Red]My coat is not lavender, but p[/Red]** —"

Once again her throat seized up, but this time she was ready.

Fluttershy stroked Twilight's back soothingly as she continued her coughing fit. "Your logic here… just because something is a property of one thing doesn’t mean it applies in reverse, right?”

"It's just as I thought," Twilight said, grinning triumphantly as her breathing steadied. "The truth, even when it's magically enforced, can still be a tool of deception."

Fluttershy's eyes began to sparkle, and a smile made its way up her face. "Do you have any other examples, Twilight?"

"Sure! Let's try this." Twilight turned around, grabbing a sandwich from the nearby snack tray and began to dismantle it with her magic, making sure Fluttershy couldn't see what she was doing. 

When she was finished, Twilight spun around and presented the sandwich to Fluttershy with a flourish. "Here you go! **[Red]This is a lettuce and daisy sandwich[/Red]**!"

Fluttershy blinked, taking the sandwich and staring at it dully. "Um, thank you?" She pulled it close to take a bite, but stopped, frowning and pulling the sandwich open. Several clumps of lavender fur were scattered amongst the greens.

“Do you get it?” Twilight asked as she paced back and forth, practically bouncing with excitement. “I told you the truth about what kind of sandwich it was. But that wasn’t the whole truth.”

“Yay!” Fluttershy whispered. She leapt up into the air, doing a small loop before flitting about the room, her smile splitting her face ear to ear. “Oh, I’m so glad. I didn’t think you would grasp the core concept here so easily, Twilight. Um, can you cast that spell on me?”

Twilight frowned, glancing back over the spellbook. “I’m afraid not. It only works on unicorns. I could at least give you the effect, though.”

Twilight lit up her horn, and conjured a small floating ball of red light, pushing it towards Fluttershy. “Touch that, and it’ll flash red. I’ll trust whatever you say while doing so.”

"I see," Fluttershy said, nodding. "That works." Landing, Fluttershy made her way over to one of Twilight's desks and began scribbling on a piece of paper with a quill. After a few minutes she finished, shaking the paper dry before giving it to Twilight. 

"Here you go. Can you tell me what this is?"

Twilight looked over the paper. It appeared to be a hastily drawn doodle of a smoking pipe. She already knew where this was headed, but decided to play along. "This is a pipe, right? For smoking?"

Fluttershy shook her head, a coy smile playing at her lips. " **[Red]This is not a pipe[/Red]**. I mean, it's just paper with ink on it, Twilight, don't be silly."

Twilight chuckled. "The treachery of images is a concept I'm familiar with. Though it's been a while since I've seen it given any practical use. So you're saying this is all stuff I should keep in mind moving forward, right?"

Fluttershy nodded, beaming. After a few moments, she stopped as a thought occurred to her, then blushed slightly. "Um, that trick with the sandwich was funny and all, but are there more? I am actually a little hungry."

"Hmm... Ah, here you go." Twilight levitated a small brown bag over to Fluttershy. "It’s those gruesome sweets I bought earlier. Not really sure what I was thinking at the time, but I’m sure they’ll taste fine. Anyway, should we get back to the main event?

Fluttershy nodded and took the bag and the two of them moved back towards their reading area.

Twilight found the cat waiting there for them, sitting calmly next to the stack of papers and affixing Twilight with a bored yet unsettling gaze. A chill ran up her spine as an odd sense of guilt overtook her. Here she was, laughing and enjoying herself with Fluttershy while the fictional Twilights were in there fighting for their lives and suffering utter heartbreak at the loss of their friends.

Such thinking was completely illogical of course, but it wasn’t hard to emphasize with the plight of a fictional character when said character was a literal extension of yourself, twice over.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight asked, the cheerful mood in the room beginning to ebb away. “What’s that cat’s name, anyway? Can you ask her?”

Fluttershy leaned in and spoke to the cat in a low voice for a few moments, and it responded with only a single meow.

“She says her name is Mira. She’s, um, not very talkative though.”

Twilight nodded, frowning. Mira? It sounded familiar for some reason. “Well, Mira, I’m afraid I can’t keep you as a pet, but you’re welcome to stay in my home for the rest of the day, at least. If you want to stay and watch while we finish this story, be my guest.”

Mira meowed, slowly sauntering off to the side and curling up on an empty cushion. _I guess that means yes._

“Um, can you switch back to reading out loud again, now that I’m awake?” Fluttershy asked, her cheeks coloring. “You’re pretty good at it, Twilight, and I like listening to you.”

“No problem.” Twilight sat down, floating the stack of papers up as she found her place again. Back into the world of this literary nightmare. She had some new concepts to keep in mind while reading, and now that Fluttershy was awake, she could discuss them readily as new challenges arose. 

What was lying in wait at the end of this road?


	18. Chapter 14 - Shattered Hopes

_Authors note: This chapter and those following it makes heavy use of formatting not supported by this site. If you would like to read the story as it is intended to be read, please visit http://www.fimfiction.net/story/163482/the-heart-of-an-author_

* * *

The incessant ticking of the clock echoed through Twilight's ears as she sat in the lounge, her gaze distant. 

Her heart was numb; it felt like a block of ice weighing down her chest. The world seemed to blur around her, as if she were viewing everything through a fishbowl. It all felt unreal. Any minute now, Rarity would appear out of nowhere, ready to explain how this was all just a cruel joke. They'd all scold her of course, something like that would be in poor taste, and in the end, all walk away having learned a valuable lesson about friendship.

But that was never going to happen, was it?

Rarity was dead. There was no denying it. She had seen her battered form with her own eyes, felt her cold and lifeless flesh beneath her hooves. Somepony had savagely beaten her to death, and if her medical knowledge was up to snuff, likely kept going after the fact, to the point where she was a barely recognizable mess.

Who could do such a thing? Who would do such a thing? Equestria was meant to be better than this...

Twilight shook her head to attempt to clear her thoughts, and then glanced up at the other occupants of the room. Pinkie Pie was curled up on the couch, not saying a word, and Rainbow Dash paced back and forth, her teeth clenched as she tried to hold back her tears.

Applejack and Fluttershy were in the next room over. Applejack had needed to be alone for a while, but Fluttershy was unassuming enough to keep an eye on her just in case while still giving her space. Sweet Celestia, Twilight couldn't even begin to imagine how Applejack must be feeling right now.

"Why..." Rainbow Dash muttered, her voice tinged with both anger and sorrow. 

That was the question they were all wondering, right? But there was nopony around who could offer an answer. 

"Twilight... you know something, right? You have to…"

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash, the pegasus's eyes brimming with tears. Of course. She was a princess, after all. She was the beacon in the darkness that everypony could count on when things were at their worst.

“Somepony murdered Rarity,” Twilight said flatly. Her own bluntness surprised her, but the part of her that could give empathy and understanding to a grieving friend seemed to be temporarily broken. 

“Of course somepony murdered her!” Rainbow Dash snarled, wheeling on Twilight. “I don’t know what you saw in there, but it certainly wasn’t like she tripped and fell down the stairs! Why? How? Who!?”

Twilight lowered her gaze to the floor, shaking her head. “I don’t… I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t fight,” Pinkie Pie mumbled softly, her voice absent its usual volume.

Rainbow Dash deflated, sinking back into a chair. “You’re like, a detective, Twilight. A good one. Isn’t there anything? Even if it’s just a hunch? Point me in the direction of the pony I’m supposed to clobber.”

“I think Applejack gets first dibs on that,” Twilight muttered. A gnawing dread began to worm its way into her heart. She did have a hunch, of course, but the idea of even considering it was just preposterous. 

The pony she had just seen go into a near catatonic shock when she discovered the corpse of her lover. The most honest and dependable pony she knew. One of her best friends.

The pony that had been fighting with Rarity just last night. The pony who got drunk and claimed to have a hazy memories of last nights proceedings. The pony who was more than strong enough to do something like that in a fit of rage. The pony who was most likely to be able to get into her lover’s room without a key.

_Applejack._

The very idea of suspecting that one of her friends was capable of doing something so horrible made her sick to her stomach. But the possibility was still there, and it seemed like both a simple and rational explanation for it all.

But not everything added up. While the scene certainly resembled a crime of passion, the envelope switcheroo with the keys and the red paint on the door suggested some degree of premeditation. Indeed, why draw such explicit attention to the crime in the first place? The usual method would be to hide the body and cover it up, not flamboyantly announce it to the world. Was somepony trying to frame Applejack?

"The shield I put up last night..." Twilight said, breaking the long silence. "It's still intact, so that means nopony from the outside should have been able to enter the mansion."

"What if they were here before you put up the shield?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Twilight nodded. "Technically possible. Though the idea that a strange pony has been hiding out here this whole time..."

"Can we confirm that real quick?" Twilight asked as she studied the board. "I'm confident in my own magic, but with the game you've set up I'd like to see that made official."

"That I can grant easily enough. You are quite talented after all, it's a reasonable assumption." Golden Wish leaned forward, once again casting her colorful brand of truth magic. “ **[Red]Nopony can pass through a magical barrier created by Twilight Sparkle without breaking it[Red]**."

Twilight continued to stare at the board. "Hmm..."

Of course, there was that strange legend Fluttershy had told. And the letter she had received with the key had quoted a part of that grisly epitaph. Was there really a murderous alicorn spirit haunting the place? Or was that just what somepony wanted her to think?

There was of course, somepony else that seemed to play a large role in this, and Twilight needed to have a long talk with her once she could fully get her head on straight. 

"Um, excuse me..." Fluttershy interrupted, poking her head in the door. "I'm going to take Applejack to see Princess Celestia. She really needs somepony to talk to."

Twilight frowned. The fact that Princess Celestia wasn't already down here with the rest of them was already rather strange. But she knew all too well that being a princess wasn't the same as being omnipotent. If nopony had told Celestia what had happened...

Twilight didn't have the heart to face her mentor just yet. "That should be fine, Fluttershy. Please ask that she come down once you guys are done, there's a lot we need to discuss."

Fluttershy nodded and turned to go, but Pinkie Pie stood up suddenly, moving towards the door on unsteady legs. 

"Mind if I come too?" Pinkie Pie asked, trying to force a pained smile.

Fluttershy nodded and she pushed the door open further. Twilight could see Applejack standing behind it, looking like she was already dead. Her heart tore open anew as she watched the three of them head off down the hallway. 

"What now?" Rainbow Dash asked once they were all out of sight. "Does anything even matter at this point?"

Such a defeatist question was certainly unhealthy, but Twilight found herself echoing that sentiment. What was even left at this point? Revenge? Justice? Closure? Whatever path still lied ahead of them, their happy lives had been irrevocably shattered by an act of wanton cruelty, and nothing she could do would put all the pieces back together again. 

But still, she had to do something. 

"Rainbow Dash, what do you know about the legend of Golden Wish?"

Rainbow Dash blinked, raising an eyebrow. "That story Fluttershy told last night? I heard what you heard, so that's about it. Do you really think it has something to do with...?"

Twilight shook her head. A strange legend, a creepy portrait, a grisly epitaph, and what Applejack had confessed last night. It all seemed to add up to something... But just what sort of nightmarish fantasy had they all found themselves a part of?

* * *

Fluttershy stood outside of the door to Celestia and Luna's room. Compared to the last time she had visited, the engraved wood exuded a far more intimidating aura, and she felt herself shiver involuntarily. 

"Fluttershy..." Applejack mumbled, pulling her hat down over her eyes. "I know what we talked about and all, but I just don't think I can go through with this right now."

"Come on, now, Applejack!" Pinkie Pie said, perking up visibly. "It's just Princess Celestia and Luna. We both know they aren't that scary!"

Applejack shook her head, glancing at Fluttershy as an odd expression crossed her face. "It just doesn’t make any sense…”

"Dealing with this... for all of us..." Fluttershy trailed off, swallowing and squeezing her eyes shut. She scrunched her face as if she was trying to avoid losing her breakfast. "Princess Celestia will have an answer. She has to."

Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously. "She always does! Except for all those times she doesn't, I guess."

Applejack let out a sigh. “Fine.”

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy reached up and knocked on the door. "Um, Princess Celestia? Can we come in? It's an emergency."

A long silence passed without a response and Fluttershy had begun to reach for her spare key when she finally heard a voice call out from inside.

"The three of you may enter."

The voiced sounded muffled and unfamiliar. Fluttershy glanced back towards the others and frowned. With a shrug, she turned, opened the door, and entered the large study.

None of the lamps in the room were lit, and the room felt still. Fluttershy stepped forward hesitantly towards two dark shapes in the corner. "Um, Princess? Is that you?"

The shapes moved forward, and Celestia and Luna stepped out of the shadows. The two sisters stared forward with blank, uncomprehending eyes, their movements were slow and jerky.

Pinkie Pie shivered violently, her hair standing on end. "Uh, girls? We should probably go."

"Now now, why are you all in such hurry to leave? You only just got here.”

A voice filled with a sweet poison echoed across the room, causing the three mares to take a step back. Golden lights began to fall like snow from the ceiling; only a few at first, but the room was quickly ablaze with a flurry of glimmering motes which coalesced into the shape of an alicorn that stood in between them and the doorway. 

“It’s… you’re…” Applejack stared up at the figure looming over them, her body trembling.

“Applejack!” Golden Wish exclaimed cheerfully “It’s been ages, how have you been? Have you been enjoying my gift?”

Applejack closed her eyes, shaking her head and muttering to herself. “This isn’t real. I didn’t… It can’t be.”

Pinkie Pie leaned in uncomfortably close to Golden Wish, staring her down. “And just who are you supposed to be, hmm?”

Golden Wish threw back her head and chuckled jovially. “You’re right, I suppose introductions are in order. I am known as Golden Wish. Master of this mansion and the arbiter of your fates.”

“You’re not… Rarity… I didn’t…” Applejack sunk down to the floor, covering her head with her hooves.

“You. What did you do to the princesses?” Fluttershy asked, her voice quiet but firm.

Golden Wish looked down to regard Fluttershy, her smile turning sour. “Ohoh. You should really mind your manners when addressing one such as me, little mare. As for the princesses, I’ve decided that the roles they were playing in this story weren't suiting me, so I’ll be re-purposing them soon enough.”

“Hey! Nopony talks to Fluttershy that way!” Pinkie Pie said, growling as she stepped in front of Fluttershy. “Why I oughta go get Twilight and—”

“Twilight?” Golden Wish snorted derisively. “Don’t make me laugh. Just what could your precious princess do to stop me even if she were here? Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

Golden Wish turned her head towards the ceiling, as if she were addressing something none of them were aware of. 

Pinkie Pie narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like you.”

“Rarity.” Applejack said, standing up slowly. “My wish, for Rarity, a chance, a happy life. Now that’s gone.”

Golden Wish turned to Applejack, her smile returning. “And I’m very sorry for your loss. Tragic, that. I’m afraid my gifts don’t come with a ‘nothing bad will happen’ guarantee.”

Applejack shook her head, tears beginning to stream down her face. “Right now… I don’t even care if you’re the one who did it. I just… want her back. Give me my Rarity back. I’ll give anything.”

“Applejack…” Fluttershy said softly, turning to her friend with wide eyes.

Golden Wish’s smile turned cruel as her eyes began to sparkle. “Well well. Such a thing would be within my power. But if love must be born in blood, what do you think life costs?”

Applejack went pale and averted her eyes.

"Of course, I'm generous to loyal customers, so I'll give you a two for one special. I'll leave the choice up to you."

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie glanced to each other, back towards Celestia and Luna, the two still staring forward aimlessly, then back to Applejack, who looked as if she were about to throw up.

"So what you're trying to tell me..." Applejack shuddered, swallowing involuntarily. "If I want Rar back, I have to sacrifice two of my friends."

Fluttershy shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "If it would bring Rarity back, I would gladly... But Applejack, how do you think she would feel about it?"

Applejack bit her lip, cursing under her breath. "Why would you even ask something like that of me... What kind of monster are you?"

The surrounding air grew icy as Golden Wish narrowed her eyes. "You should choose your next words carefully. My gifts are only available to those who offer the proper respect."

With a pained glance, Applejack turned to her friends, offering up a weak smile. "Sorry, you girls."

Pinkie Pie returned a large grin, her eyes wet with tears. "It's okay, Applejack! We understand."

Applejack spun to face Golden Wish, lowering her head to the floor. "Sorry for any disrespect. I want what you have to offer. Nothing would make me happier to see her smile again. But I can't pay your price. The lives of my friends aren't mine to give."

Raising her head, Applejack met her gaze, eyes burning with determination. "But I'll offer you all I have. My body, my friendship, my love. Erase every scrap of me from this world if you must."

Golden Wish stared at Applejack in silence for a long moment, her expression flat. "You offer not your life, but memories of you as well. Rarity would come back, not to you, but to an empty hole in her heart and no knowledge of how it got there."

"It's the fairest trade I can rightly offer, and is probably what I deserve, besides."

With a long sigh, Golden Wish raised a hoof to her forehead. "That... would be equivalent. You surprise me, Applejack. I was expecting another decision made selfishly. This puts me in a tight spot."

"We'll miss you," Fluttershy said softly, placing a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "But I trust that you know the right thing to do."

Golden Wish sighed again, shaking her head. "You've really sucked the fun out of all this, and I hate to say it, but I'll have to refuse your offer."

Applejack blinked, taking a step back. "What do you mean you refuse? You said it’s an equivalent trade, right?"

Closing her eyes, Golden Wish lit up her horn, a golden glow shimmering across the room. "It's more than a reasonable offer. In another circumstance, I would probably accept it. But I'm afraid that's just not how this story is written."

"You're not making any sense!" Pinkie Pie said, her voice a low growl. 

"A tragic heroine, sacrificing herself to bring a loved one back from the dead. It's got a certain poignant resonance to it."

Golden Wish looked up, her eyes ablaze as her face contorted into a twisted sneer and her magic pulsed across the room. "But this story is about selfish fools and the poor choices they've made, and those who suffer because of it. If you refuse to stick to the script, that's fine, but..."

The light from her horn began to shift and discolor, coalescing into twisted shadows that vaguely resembled the shape of ponies. 

"The ending won't change!"

"You rotten snake!" Applejack snarled as she backed away from the shadows closing in around them. "You never planned on granting me anything from the start, did you!?"

Golden Wish threw back her head and laughed, her cackle echoing off the walls. "Guilty as charged. Oh, but watching you squirm is so much fun!"

Fluttershy stared, face to face with the shadow before her, the burning embers of its eyes reflecting off her own. "You're nothing more than a bully," she said, addressing the alicorn without taking her eyes from the predator before her. "About as sophisticated as a little filly on the playground who offers something in mock friendship only to snatch it away and laugh at their own cleverness."

"Maybe you're right!" Golden Wish said, her twisted grin seeming to grow impossibly wide as the shadows shifted around her. "We all play the parts written out for us. You should know that all too well, my dear, sweet, timid little Fluttershy!"

The shadows pressed in ever closer, and the girls backed into each other, nowhere left to go. 

Applejack's eyes darted fiercely across the room, trying to take in every minute detail. "I don't know about you girls, but if this is what we're dealing with, I don't think I'll be throwing my life away after all."

"That's right!" Pinkie Pie said, crouching low. "Let's show this meanie just who she's messing with!"

Golden Wish raised a hoof. "Kill them. And make it messy. Twilight will have quite the sight when she discovers _this_ crime scene!”

The shadows pounced, and the three ponies sprang into action. With a terrified shriek, Fluttershy sprang up into the air to hover at the top of the ceiling. Applejack and Pinkie Pie planted themselves and twisted to buck their hooves out in opposite directions. 

With a sickening crunch, their hooves met the bodies of the leaping shadows and sent them sprawling across the room. The pair of earth ponies were able to dash through the holes created by their counter-offensive to opposite sides of the room to avoid being surrounded.

"Fluttershy, the curtains!" Applejack cried out as she rolled away from the swipe of what seemed to be a shadowy claw. One wrong move and that thing would tear her open, spilling herself all across the floor.

Fluttershy dashed over to the windows, hoping fervently she had correctly interpreted Applejack's meaning. She used her teeth to pull loose the long braided cord that served as a drawstring for the curtains.

One of the creatures took notice, sprouting wings and charging upwards at Fluttershy with a whistling howl. Its fangs glinted in the golden light cast by the shimmering motes. Fluttershy screamed and dropped to the ground, wings clamping tightly to her sides. The impact was hard, but she managed to roll over in time to see the creature diving straight for her.

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie cried out as she leaped forward to tackle the winged shadow in midair. Her momentum slammed the beast into the ground, and after standing, brought her hooves and her full body weight down on its prone form before leaping back to a safe distance.

“You okay?” Pinkie Pie asked, smiling weakly.

“PInkie Pie, you’re…” Fluttershy trailed off, her eyes drawn to the streak of red across Pinkie’s flank. 

“A little help over here!” Applejack barked through clenched teeth. Pushed back into a corner by two of the shadows, she seemed to be fighting a losing battle. Swinging a long hat-rack at the advancing creatures, she desperately tried to keep them at bay.

Summoning what scraps of courage she still had left, Fluttershy quickly gathered the rope she had dropped and took to the air. She made a pass over Applejack’s position and tossed the coil of rope to her. “Here, catch!”

Applejack threw the hat-rack at the shadows and leapt over them, catching the rope in her teeth. She charged across to the other side of the room, working on fashioning a makeshift lasso as quickly as she could. When she finished, she spun around to take stock of the situation. Three shadows were still standing, and they were advancing on her friends.

Pinkie Pie stumbled, her back hoof wet with blood. The shadows sensed their chance and prepared to pounce on the retreating pony, but Fluttershy swooped down to land in between them and unleashed her fiercest stare. 

“I won’t let you hurt her!”

The beasts balked under her intimidating gaze, but their killing intent was true, and they snarled and began to advance again.

"Ain't gonna be no more of that!" Applejack cried as she took advantage of the brief distraction to throw her lasso. It caught around all three of the shadows, and she pulled it tight. The entrapped creatures howled in protest, but Applejack grabbed the rope and dragged them out into the hallway. The sounds of a well placed buck and of a bundle of shadows tumbling down the stairs were like music to her ears.

“Phew. Your pets ain’t so tough,” Applejack said, wiping the sweat from her brow. With a fierce scowl she turned from the hallway and addressed the room. “Now listen here, missy. You and I are going to have a long discussion on what happened to Rarity and what you’re going to do about it, but this time it’s going to be on my—”

The door slammed in Applejack’s face, enveloped in a golden glow. She heard the key turn in the lock with a loud thunk.

“Whoops,” Golden Wish said, pulling the key back out and floating it in front of her. “You can stay out there for a while. In truth, I only wanted to deal with these two, anyway.”

“Hey! Open this door!” Loud, repeated thumps came from the outside of the door as Applejack tried to buck it open, but the sturdy wood didn’t want to budge.

“Oh, this belongs to you. I hope you don’t mind if I borrowed it,” Golden Wish said sweetly, reaching out with her magic and tucking the key into Fluttershy’s mane.

Fluttershy swallowed and backed away. If the danger before had been an adrenaline filled fight for her life, the danger that surrounded her now now felt like an icy, cruel inevitability that was closing slowly around her heart. “Applejack,” she muttered weakly through the door, “go get Twilight. Quickly!”

“But I can’t leave you two! Not like this!”

Golden Wish threw back her head and cackled wildly. “Yes, Applejack! Go get your precious Twilight Sparkle. Maybe she’ll be able to stop me in time! Better hurry though, I work fast!”

With a curse that was halfway a choking sob, Applejack galloped off down the hallway, leaving the others to their fate.

“Now then, she was right. Those pets were pretty useless. Fortunately, I have the perfect replacements in mind,” Golden Wish said, her gaze falling on the two princesses, still standing motionless in the corner. 

Pinkie Pie stood up tall, her legs wobbling but her eyes defiant. “I’m not scared of you.”

Golden Wish snorted, then closed her eyes and focused her magic, her horn glowing blindingly bright. “You may wish to reconsider that in a moment. There’s still room for this dance to get even crazier, so lets introduce some new characters!”

Dark smoke began to twist and rise around the two princesses, obscuring them from view. Golden Wish’s horn grew even brighter as she scrunched up her face in concentration, sweat dripping down her brow. 

With a deafening boom, a corona of magic exploded across the room, knocking both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie to the ground. 

As the smoke cleared, Fluttershy stood back up, her mouth falling open as her eyes fell upon the princesses.

No. The ponies that stood there were not the princesses. In their place were two white unicorns, one whose mane and tail seemed to be ablaze, the other's radiating an aura of ice and snow.

“We live to serve you, master,” the two said in unison, bowing low.

“It’s perfect!” Golden Wish said, giggling. “What do you think, everypony? I’ve replaced those boring, useless sisters with creations of my very own. Why don’t you introduce yourselves? You should get to know the ponies that are about to kill you, right?”

“I’m Flauros! It’s nice to meet you two!”

“... Cryos”

The two unicorns fired up their horns, their auras flaring up and bathing the room in a chaotic mix of heat and cold. 

“Well, then,” Golden Wish said, turning to face her victims once more. “Do you have anything else you’d like to add before we finish this?”

Pinkie Pie giggled, shaking her head as she leaned on a nearby table for support. “I feel sorry for you.”

Golden Wish narrowed her eyes. “What.”

“You sure like to laugh a lot, but that’s not how it’s supposed to work! Laughter is something to be shared with friends, with family, with the ponies you love. A cruel laugh at another’s expense might feel good for a while, but it’s just a hollow, fleeting thing. True laughter stays in your heart, and will keep you warm no matter how dark and cold things get.”

Golden Wish snorted, her nostrils flaring. “You’re just trying to stall until Twilight gets here, aren’t you? For your insolence, you get to die second! Flauros!”

“Yippie!” Flauros cried out, jumping into the air. With a wicked glint in her eyes, a spiraling flame shot up her horn and she reared back, firing a massive cone of flames straight towards Fluttershy. 

Fluttershy screamed, and Pinkie sprung into action, far quicker than her wounded state should have allowed. She kicked the wooden table up into the air, grabbing it and throwing it and herself in front of Fluttershy, using the table as a shield.

Wood was a poor defense against the might of fire, and the heat licked around at both ponies. Fluttershy crouched low, coughing as the smoke began to pour around them, and Pinkie Pie stood firm, braced against the infernal onslaught.

“Does it matter?” Pinkie Pie asked, shouting loud enough to be heard over the roaring flames. “Even if you get what you want, do you think you’ll be happy, if you do it like this? Does your future hold real laughter? True laughter? Or will your heart be as empty as this room will be once you’re done with us? I know I can’t stop you. And even if Twilight figures things out afterwards… what do you think the result would be?”

“Pinkie…” Fluttershy said, her eyes wide as she looked up at the pony defending her. The flames slowly died down to a trickle before stopping, and Pinkie Pie sagged, the table falling outward and cracking in two as it continued to burn.

Pinkie Pie sunk to her knees, panting heavily. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. It won’t be that big of a deal in the end, right? Even if it has to be like this, can I at least get one last smile before I go?”

Fluttershy nodded, her eyes brimming with tears, and she forced herself to smile for her friend.

A blast of icy magic struck Pinkie Pie from across the room, and Pinkie’s final expression was made eternal.

“Not so funny now, is it!” Golden Wish sneered, her face an ugly mask of glee. “And now for you, you self-pitying little twit. It sure was brave, how your friend stepped up to save you like that. Isn’t that always how it goes? Poor, weak little Fluttershy. Everypony is always there to step up and give you a hoof, because you can’t stand up for yourself.”

Fluttershy shook her head, backing away slowly. “I can’t stand up to you. Nopony can, you’ve made that perfectly clear. But just because I don’t have the power to stop you doesn’t mean my heart is weak.”

Standing up as tall as she could Fluttershy spread her wings and looked Golden Wish directly in the eyes. “Do your worst.”

“Tch.” Golden Wish spat on the ground. “You ponies make it awfully hard to get in good one liners. Very well. Maybe your ever vaunted ‘kindness’ will bring you truth in death.”

Golden Wish raised her hoof. “Flauros.”

There was the hum of magic, the roar of fire, a scream, and then silence.

Twilight stared forward, her eyes distant, and her heart an empty void.

“Well! That was quite a show, don’t you agree? Your friends certainly are a feisty bunch. Oh, but doesn’t that throw a wrench into this mystery, hmm? What could you have possibly just witnessed? How can this all be explained? Go on, Twilight, give it a shot!”

Twilight bit her lip and looked away.

Golden Wish frowned, the annoyance plain on her face. “Hey… I’m talking to you. Your friends just got murdered horribly. Pretty good fight scene though, right? Don’t you have anything to say? Maybe more threats, or swearing revenge?”

Twilight shook her head, and kept her gaze low.

“Tch…”

The door burst open with a loud bang, and Applejack rushed into the lounge, panting heavily. “Twilight, you gotta…”

“Applejack? What’s going on? Where are the others?” Twilight asked, leaping up from her seat. Applejack looked even more ragged than before, and her eyes and voice both seemed hollow and devoid of life and hope.

Applejack shook her head, clearing her throat. “Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They’re…” Applejack paused to swallow, closing her eyes. “They’re in danger.”

_No._

“Where!?” Twilight and Rainbow Dash both called out at the same time.

Applejack took a deep breath, shuddering slightly. “Princess Celestia’s study. Ain’t much time before…”

Twilight teleported immediately, wasting no time. Her friends were in danger. Still reeling from the loss of one, was this tragedy about to multiply? But what could possibly be…

Trying the door, Twilight found it locked, and she banged on it loudly. “Fluttershy! Pinkie Pie! Are you okay? Say something!”

Just a few hours ago she had been doing the same thing with Rarity. The nightmare that had awaited her then… did she even want to open this door? 

There was no response, and Twilight fired up her horn. She wasn’t going to waste her time with keys. She could feel the door resisting her power, it must have been enchanted. But she was an alicorn princess, and she wasn’t about to let a bit of wood stop her. She doubled her strength, and as the mansion groaned in protest, she tore the entire door frame from the wall, dust and splinters showering the area.

The smell of smoke assaulted her and Twilight paused, coughing as dust blew up around her before she leapt inside, ready to face whatever was waiting for her.

Which turned out to be nothing. At least, she didn’t see any ponies. The carpet squished under her hooves as she walked forward, bewildered. The wall and the floor were scorched with flame, and a burnt table lay in pieces. She could smell the ash and char, but everything was damp, as if somepony had extinguished the fire with a lot of water. Small piles of ash were scattered about, as well as some bits of melted metal.

“Princess Celestia? Princess Luna?” Twilight called out. The study was otherwise pretty sparse. Twilight poked her head into the adjoining bedrooms and bathroom, but saw no sign of any ponies, nor any sign of the destruction that had wrecked the main study. 

“Is this even the right place…?” Twilight wondered out loud.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash called out, zooming in through the door. She skidded to a halt as she noticed the burnt room. “What in Equestria? Where are the others?”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t know. This was all I found when I got here.”

“There,” Golden Wish said, tapping her hoof on the table. “All the pieces are set up. Are you ready for round two?”

Twilight lowered her head, staying silent.

After a minute Golden Wish let out a sigh. “If you’re going to just give up, that’s fine, but there can’t be a game unless both players play.”

“You…” Twilight muttered softly.

“Oh? What about me?”

“Who are you, really? What’s the real purpose of this game? Why are you doing this? Why are you showing me this? Why am I here? Do you even know? Can you even tell me?

“Who are you?”


	19. Chapter 15 - Reflections of Blue

_Authors note: This chapter and those following it makes heavy use of formatting not supported by this site. If you would like to read the story as it is intended to be read, please visit http://www.fimfiction.net/story/163482/the-heart-of-an-author_

* * *

"You're asking this now, of all times?" Golden Wish asked, her expression flat. "Isn't it obvious? Do we really have to retread old ground?"

Twilight shook her head. "You're deflecting again. From the very start, none of this has made any sense. Is Fluttershy's story about you true? Are you just some privileged little filly who felt ignored and is taking it out on others? Do you even understand the weight of what you're doing here? Or are you just a child who has no concept of right or wrong playing with dolls?"

Golden Wish flinched, taking a step back. "They _are_ just dolls, Twilight. With a flick of my horn, I could bring them all back and then break them again. That's the nature of my power. A wish sure is something magical, isn't it? The possibilities are endless, infinite. I can kill, I can revive. I can command the very fabric of reality itself."

With a sneer, she added, "Maybe somepony will have to pay the price, but it doesn't have to be me."

Twilight stomped a hoof. "My friends are not your toys. And neither am I."

"Then defeat me, Twilight Sparkle. Maybe then you'll find all the answers you so desperately seek."

"There's just no reasonable solution, here," Twilight said, muttering under her breath. "You know, I've dealt with a lot of villains in my time. For some, they were able to understand the magic of friendship, one way or another. Others required a more... direct approach. But you?"

Twilight snarled and reached out with her mind. Whatever force had blocked her magic before was gone and she felt that sweet taste of power flowing through her horn, like water to a dying pony in the desert.

"I won't show you any mercy!"

"Good!" Golden Wish cried out, her eyes wild with glee. "That's the response I was looking for!"

Twilight charged forward, locking horns with Golden Wish. "So. Are you going to try and claim that this farce is a closed room as well?"

"Of course I am!" Golden Wish said, pushing down on Twilight, their foreheads butting. "It wouldn't be a game without it, after all."

Twilight leapt backwards, spreading her wings and pulling herself up to her fullest height. "Go on then. Lay out the basics. I'll cut your narrative to shreds!"

"Something like this should be obvious, right?" Golden Wish stomped a hoof and threw her head back, a corona of red light surging forth from her horn. 

" **[Red]No tricks accomplishable solely by unicorn magic factored into the construction of this closed room** [Red]."

The room shattered around them and fell away, leaving the two alicorns flapping their wings underneath a starry sky, a vaguely defined landscape visible below.

"That's different than last time," Twilight said as she quickly adjusted to her new position. "Why the change in phrasing?"

Golden Wish giggled, holding a hoof over her mouth. "I like it better this way. Magic can do a lot of unique things, but if one pony takes something down from a shelf with her teeth while another uses magic, is the end result any different?"

Twilight narrowed her eyes. Nothing to be had but lies and misdirections. "Get on with it."

" **[Red]There are no hidden doors in this room. A hidden door is defined as anything a pony could use as an entrance or exit that is not discovered by the detective** [Red]." With a glance Twilight's way, Golden Wish added, "That would be the Twilight down there, for the record."

"If I can't find it then it doesn't exist, huh?" Twilight asked, snorting with contempt. "How appropriately solipsistic of you."

" **[Red]All the windows are locked from the inside** [Red]. Why, that just leaves the door, right? How could anypony possibly escape?"

The three orbs of red truth circled around Twilight, taunting her. The core of each reflected a cruel reality, one where ponies were being hurt and killed while higher beings fought over trivial details. 

"Is this the foundation of your argument?" Twilight asked, pulling forward into a banking curve. The orbs followed her. "There's still some rather obvious holes unaccounted for."

Golden Wish smirked. "Why, of course. This really is just a foundation. All of these truths go without saying. In fact, saying them over and over again would get rather tedious. From now on, **[Red]the three preceding truths will define a 'Golden Closed Room'** [Red]."

With a triumphant smirk, Twilight called forth magic of her own. A bright blue lance of energy crackled at her side as she rounded on her opponent. The rules of this game were too lopsided. It was time she evened the odds a bit. 

“Did you really think I’d overlook something so simple!?” Twilight roared, the winds rushing past her as she charged forward. “ ** _[Blue]There’s no closed room in the first place! The door to Celestia and Luna’s study has an auto-lock on it_ [/Blue]**.”

WIth a shrill buzz, Twilight’s spell shot forward, embedding itself deep in Golden Wish’s side. 

“Gyaak! What, what is this…” Golden Wish said, staring with wide eyes at the sight of the gleaming spear protruding from her.

Twilight threw back her head and let out a laugh, the cruelty in her tone surprising her. “This is MY truth. It can’t supercede the red, but until you address it, it will hold the same status as the red until proven otherwise! I’m not going to allow you to dodge or deflect by refusing to answer my questions anymore!”

Golden Wish howled as she reared back, her eyes ablaze. “Who do you think you are, changing the rules of my game!?”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle. Princess of Friendship and Magic. Did you forget? You seem to remind me of it often enough. It’s not really that much of a change, is it? All it means is that if I propose a theory in blue, it stands as the truth unless you can offer a truth of your own,” Twilight cooed, her voice dripping with venom.

“You’re going to regret this.” Golden Wish turned her head, grasping the blue barb with her teeth. She screamed through clenched teeth as she slowly pulled it from her side. Her horn surged with red energy as the spear shattered and dissipated in her mouth. 

“ **[Red]In this game the study has no auto-lock! The only way to lock or unlock the door is with the key** [Red].

“ **[Red]There is only one key that is capable of opening the study** [Red]!”

The spheres that were already orbiting Twilight suddenly slammed into her, causing her to cry out as they sent energy surging through her body. Her wings seized up, and she fell.

The scenery shifted around her as she fell, eventually coalescing into a snow covered plain which she promptly crashed into. Groaning, she slowly pulled herself out of the snow.

Golden Wish touched down on the snow across from Twilight. “What’s the matter? If you’d like, we could switch back to conceptualizing this argument as a simple chess game instead. It might be a little less painful!”

Twilight spat, a coppery taste heavy on her tongue. “You’re using the red to lie somehow. I remember the auto-lock, as clear as day.”

“ **[Red]Everything I say in red is the truth** [Red]! I thought we trusted each other?” Golden Wish said, laughing shrilly. “What holds true in one game may not hold true in another. The number of keys, the presence of an auto lock or not. I mean, even the most obvious one. Ponies are dying in a different order, right? Why should the little details stay consistent?”

Twilight shook her head, trying to pull her thoughts together. “Obnoxiously arbitrary. But I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything more from you.”

“So come on then, Twilight. You have your little blue weapon of your own there, but do you really have what it takes to make it count? Tell me, how did the crime happen? How did the killer leave the room? Where did the bodies go? Who did it?” With a pause, Golden Wish added, “Well, some of those answers might be a little more obvious than others.”

Twilight crouched low, readying her next move. A cautious attack, just to test her opponents defenses.

“ ** _[Blue]The culprit took the key from Fluttershy, and used it to lock the door behind them_ [/Blue]**.”

Twilight lashed out, an arc of blue energy sweeping low at Golden Wish, but it was blocked with a counter thrust of her own. 

" **[Red]Fluttershy’s key was destroyed, and can no longer be used to lock or unlock a door** [Red]!Weren't you paying attention? Just a poor little pile of ash and a bit of melted slag is all that remains!”

So that melted pile of metal was… she had thought as much, but to have it confirmed still stung deeply. “You said there’s only one key, right? How come Celestia and Luna didn’t have their own set?”

Golden Wish raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe they just didn’t care enough to keep their doors locked.”

The blizzard whipped around the two of them, the snow forcing Twilight to squint as she strained her mind to find the answers she sought. Her best friends, murdered in cold blood by this cackling witch and her summoned familiars. In this game of nightmares she was forced to watch their final moments of suffering. But now, with a combination of magical words and evidence after the fact she was expected to provide a solution to a puzzle that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

Presuming a basic scenario, Golden Wish and her cronies have hid in the mansion somewhere and then holed up in the study and ambushed her friends when they arrived. While the whole idea was incredulous, what was even more so was that they were able to somehow escape after the fact without leaving any evidence of their presence behind. And then there was that red truth, saying that regardless of how flashy everything might have appeared, it was all technically possible for an earth pony or a pegasus pony to accomplish as well.

There were still a few possibilities that came to mind.

Twilight smirked, readying her next attack. “ ** _[Blue]The culprit was still hiding in the study when I tore open the door_ [/Blue]**!”

Golden Wish braced herself and caught the blue bolt, not with the red truth, but with her own magic. The strain from holding it back was visible on her face. “That’s a little far-fetched, isn’t it, Twilight? You inspected the room yourself, didn’t you? Where would the culprit be hiding?”

“Because I did inspect, you can’t arbitrarily claim it’s different this time,” Twilight said as she focused, pushing the spear closer to her target. “The study has three different parts to it, remember? The main room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. I can’t check everywhere at once. **_[Blue]When I was inspecting one of the rooms in the study, the culprit snuck out behind me_ [/Blue]**!” 

Golden Wish grunted, stopping the second bolt as her aura flared up, the snow around her beginning to melt. “That’s an awfully big gamble… what if you had checked the other room first?”

Twilight laughed, the blue light from her horn reflecting off the moonlit snow. “Does it matter? In a game like this, the culprit would always be in the room I didn’t check.”

“Good! You’re getting better at this! Too bad it doesn’t mean much.”

With a lash of red Golden Wish cut through the blue spears like a scythe felling wheat. “ **[Red]At the time Twilight Sparkle entered the study, there were no living ponies inside the study. This applies to all three interior rooms** [Red].”

The curved blade of red arced towards Twilight, but she couldn’t afford to get tangled up. She teleported with a flash, coming down from above Golden Wish with a renewed assault of her own.

“ ** _[Blue]Fluttershy entered the room, locked the door behind her for some reason, and then fell victim to unknown trap X_ [/Blue]**! The details of the type of trap that would produce a result like this are irrelevant. There are all sorts of devices that could remotely kill somepony, even with fire or ice.”

“Ridiculous!” Golden Wish scoffed, blocking Twilight’s blade with her own and pushing back. “You really think you can still rely on the Nightmare’s Proof? Especially with such a lazy theory as that. **[Red]Nopony in the study was killed by a trap** [Red]!”

As Twilight continued to push forward, Golden Wish faltered, her hoof slipping in the mud. Twilight took the advantage, teleporting again and striking from behind. 

" ** _[Blue]The death was a suicide! Fluttershy was threatened or coerced into taking her own life after locking herself inside, probably to spare somepony else. Some method of self incineration was used, or something capable of disposing of the body after the fact_ [/Blue]**."

Golden Wish howled as the blue energy passed through her form before leaping into the air, flying straight up. Twilight followed after, already prepared for the counterstrike.

“You're awfully tenacious, Twilight! Just what kind of closed room do you think this is? What about what you saw makes you think Fluttershy would just kill herself all of a sudden, even if she was coerced?"

Twilight pulled in behind Golden Wish as she chased her through the skies. "You keep going on about trust and mutual respect, but you've done nothing but lie through your teeth from the start! How can I believe anything you've shown me? There's already several blatant contradictions between the events of this room and the red truths you've given me."

Golden Wish flipped backwards and dropped her altitude, gliding upside down as Twilight flew over her. "Well go on then. Resolve the discrepancies, if you think you can. The onus is on you, Twilight. Don't come crying to me just because you can't make any sense of it! Wallow in despair and sink into oblivion!"

Twilight roared, looping in midair and diving straight down, already readying her next strike. 

" **[Red]Fluttershy did not commit suicide, assisted or otherwise** [Red]."

The red energy burst forth and struck Twilight in the chest, but she rolled with the impact and slammed directly into Golden Wish with her remaining momentum. " ** _[Blue]Fluttershy isn't dead! Somepony faked her death, using the ashes of something else to make it look like she has been burned alive_ [/Blue]**."

Golden Wish screamed as the blue spear pierced clean through her, but Twilight continued her dive, slamming the alicorn into the ground below. As the dust settled, Twilight stepped back, panting as she gazed upon Golden Wish’s prone form.

"Y-you..." Golden Wish coughed, blood trickling from her mouth as she reached a hoof towards the spear pinning her to the earth.

Twilight looked down on the now pitiful sight of her opponent, her expression flat. Was it really that easy? "That's it then, isn't it? Two for zero. Your closed rooms are pretty good, but once again not impossible."

Golden Wish shuddered, scrunching her eyes up as she turned away. 

Twilight shook her head. "Just give it up. I don't really know what you're after, but isn't this far enough? You've had your fun. The psychological torture you’ve inflicted on me will likely require years of therapy to recover from. Let's just end this here. I'll go back to my friends, and you can go your own separate way."

Golden Wish chuckled weakly, her laugh full of bitterness and pain. ”Go my own separate way? Where would that be, exactly? Outside of this fragment of reality in which we play our game, what hold do you really think I have?”

Twilight bit her lip. She hadn’t dared to let herself extend any empathy to the monster that lay struck down before her. Even as she considered adopting an open mind to her opponents point of view, a wave of bile leapt up her throat. After everything she had been through, after everything Golden Wish had done… the time for love and tolerance was long past.

Golden Wish coughed again, blood splattering across the snow as she looked up to meet Twilight’s gaze with her own. “Well, you’re the victor, right? Feast in your spoils. Take that mighty blue axe of yours and cut me open. Expose my ugly guts for the world to see, and bask in the golden radiance of the truth!”

Twilight grit her teeth, and conjured forth a large blade of blue, ready to end it all here and now. No hesitation. For Rarity. For Pinkie Pie. For Fluttershy. 

“What’s the matter, Twilight? In your love of violence, did you forget that this was a game of words? I've given you oh-so-many devious riddles to solve. Just because you've stumbled on a solution or two doesn't mean you really understand. Can you pull everything together with a grand, unifying theory? Have you grasped that underlying golden light that binds everything together?"

That was right. She wasn’t using a real weapon. It was one thing to figure out the solution to any given closed room, but what did they really mean on a larger scale? Everything she'd seen, that she had been through had operated on the kind of twisted logic that ponies never encountered in their daily lives. At what point was a pony able to apply the scientific method to her nightmares?

Twilight shook her head, looking away. "I could piece together a few guesses based on what I know, but... no. I don't."

Golden Wish snarled, her face twisted with pain as she reached up with her hooves and began to pull on the blue spear. "In that case... We’re. Not. Done here!"

With a primal scream, Golden Wish tore the truth from her body, a corona of red energy pulsing across the field. " **[Red]Those ashes belong to Fluttershy** [Red]! It'd be a cute trick, but I'm afraid hoping for a solution without any deaths won't get you anywhere!"

Twilight fell backwards, the weight of the red truth pushing her into the ground. She had been so close, but... No. Fluttershy had called her on it herself; Golden Wish was a bully who would offer something then snatch her hoof back at the last minute. Which meant...

"That's right, Twilight!" Golden Wish shouted as she loomed over her, her expression twisted with sadistic glee. "I was lying when I forfeited the first round. I just thought a little victory for you might be fun for awhile! But it's even better when I crush all your expectations now!"

" **[Red]In regards to the first closed room, the envelope remained sealed from the time Fluttershy received it till the time you opened it** [Red]. Whoops! That really leaves you without any options, doesn't it? Not even the smallest bit of driftwood to keep you afloat, to give your theories purchase."

The world fell away into the endless void, and red snakes snapped around Twilight, coiling around her and pulling her hindlegs together while pulling her forelegs apart at an awkward angle. The cords snapped tight, pressing her against an invisible wall. The binding weight of all the unshakable truths dug into her sides, making it difficult to breathe.

Golden Wish floated forwards, cackling wildly. "Is that really all you have, Twilight? Surely you have some surprises left, right?"

Twilight bit back a curse, her vision beginning to dim as oxygen struggled to reach her blood. Maybe she did have a bit of fight left in her at this point. But what difference did it make? There would just be another arbitrary justification ready to block any victory of hers. This wasn't a game. It was just torture. An elaborate excuse to watch and laugh as she danced to somepony else's puppeteering.

"For a game like this... The only way to win is not to play, right?" Twilight asked, her voice a croaking whisper.

Golden Wish stopped laughing. "It's more the opposite of that. Giving up is the main lose condition."

Twilight lowered her head, her vision going dark. "So tell me... Be honest. Would you prefer it if I gave up now, or if we just stayed here and played this game for all eternity?"

Golden Wish's eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "I..."

Twilight snorted, her chuckle more of a rasping cough. "That's what I thought. I'm sorry, everyone..."

"Hey, where's the fun in that? We have a game to play here! Don't you care what happens to your friends? Fighting me is the only way you can save them! I thought you were supposed to be better than this, Twilight!

"... Twilight?"

* * *

Twilight closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she set the story down. There were still pages left, so it wasn't over yet, but… This would be a lot to process.

Twilight opened her eyes to look up at Fluttershy. The pegasus's expression was somewhat distant, and she held a pained smile on her face. As well as...

"Um, Fluttershy, you have a little something there..." Twilight said as she reached up with her hoof and mimed wiping at her face.

"Huh...? I have... Oh!" Fluttershy's eyes widened and she blushed. She stuck her tongue out and awkwardly tried to clean up the "blood" on the side of her mouth. "Did I get it?"

Twilight couldn't help herself and she burst out laughing. "Here," she said, wiping a tear from her eye, "let me get that for you."

Twilight levitated a handkerchief over and gently wiped off the remains of Fluttershy's gory snack.

"Thanks," Fluttershy mumbled, her face bright red.

The two sat there in an awkward silence for a bit before Twilight finally spoke up.

"So... Blue Truth, huh? Are there any more colors I should be worried about here?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "No, that's it. I promise."

Twilight let out a sigh. Before, she might have used "twisted" as a way to describe this narrative. Now, her vast vocabulary was failing her. It was window into the soul of madness, a screaming descent into dark places where few ponies returned from. 

Yet the author, Fluttershy, was right in front of her. And, aside from looking a little tired, she seemed completely normal. Despite the sudden genre shifts, the inexplicably over the top action scenes, and the unflinching brutality, there was a method to it all. A pattern was slowly starting to take shape in Twilight's mind, but she still didn't have even the foggiest idea of what this picture would look like in the end.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to replicate the blue truth with actual magic. As far as I know, anyway."

Fluttershy giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof. "I never expected any magic out of you anyway, Twilight. It's okay."

Twilight grinned, then let out a huge yawn. She stretched her arms above her head before flopping onto her side, rolling over to her back and staring up at the ceiling. "I have so many questions, Fluttershy, but I don't even know where to start."

Fluttershy turned away, pawing at the ground. "Oh, I don't know. I may have gotten a little carried away with all of this. It was all so clear to me last night. My pen was flying. The words practically wrote themselves! But hearing it all back like this... suddenly I'm not so sure."

"Hey now." Twilight rolled over to face Fluttershy and propped her head up with a hoof. "The reason I'm investing so much of myself into this is because of your conviction. Now's not the time for second thoughts."

Fluttershy nodded, smiling. "You're right. I'm sorry, Twilight."

"Right then," Twilight said, rolling over and springing up. "At this point in the story, Meta-Twilight is against the ropes, ready to give up because she sees this whole ordeal as unwinnable. Honestly, if I in her position, I might be thinking the same way. I do not envy her."

Twilight began pacing, her mind picking up speed. "But as the reader, I have an even higher perspective to offer."

Twilight whirled, recasting her magic from earlier and summoning the red orb of light. "Let's just get one thing clear. I trust you and everything, but can you say it in red for me anyway? Is this mystery solvable?"

Fluttershy nodded, placing her hoof on the orb. " **[Red]I wrote this mystery to be solvable** [Red]. Um, to the best of my ability, anyway."

"Perfect! Now, we have two main closed rooms so far. Both have been sealed with a seemingly impenetrable web of red, but there’s more to it than that. If we take what we saw happen in the study at complete face value, the idea of this being a mystery kind of falls apart, doesn’t it?”

Fluttershy sat on her haunches, watching Twilight with a patient interest.

Twilight lit up her horn, once again calling upon the magic of truth. “ **[Red]Knocks’ 1st. It is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned in the early part of the story** [Red]. That alone should be enough to discount the entire scene, right? Maybe you could make an argument that Golden Wish was sufficiently foreshadowed in the first book, even if we never saw her, but the introduction of Flauros and Cryos? Completely out of the blue.”

Fluttershy frowned, holding a hoof up to her chin. “Well, I’m not entirely sure about that, Twilight. In a murder mystery, if someone hires an assassin to carry out a murder, is the identity of the assassin or the person who hires them more important? Also, speaking of ‘out of the blue’…” Fluttershy said as she waved her hoof at Twilight.

Twilight stared uncomprehendingly for a moment before the meaning in Fluttershy’s words clicked and she conjured a blue orb of light to sit next to the first. “Are you trying to suggest that this mystery has a professional assassin creeping about even on top of everything else?’

Fluttershy giggled. “Oh no, of course not. I’m just talking in hypotheticals here. But, um, **_[Blue]if a character’s purpose is to be used as a mere tool or as a weapon for others, their presence in the narrative need not be foreshadowed. Thus, it would not contradict Knocks_ [/Blue]**."

Twilight opened her mouth to object, but frowned, considering Fluttershy’s theory. It skirted a loophole in the rules, which weren’t exactly hard coded to begin with, and it wasn’t like she could go ask Knocks himself for a ruling. Mystery buffs could spend an eternity arguing over what exactly counted as fair play or not and never reach a true consensus. 

“The closed room doesn’t make a lot of sense then, does it?” Twilight asked as she resumed her pacing. “Neither do any of the restrictions for that matter. Why would an all powerful alicorn, capable of defeating Princess Celestia and Princess Luna refrain from using magic in such a way to create each closed room in the first place?”

Fluttershy shrugged. “I mean, it wouldn’t really be a puzzle if you could just teleport in and out, would it?”

“That’s…” Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “And what the heck happened to Pinkie Pie? If Fluttershy, er, you, were burned to death, it makes sense that ashes would be left behind, but if Pinkie was frozen it’s not like she’d just turn into a puddle. So her body has to be somewhere.”

Twilight stopped, shuddering, “Ugh. I’m not sure if I should more disturbed at what I’m saying, or the fact that I’m saying this all so casually.”

Fluttershy flinched, pulling back. “I’m sorry…”

Twilight smiled painfully. “It’s okay. We’ve come this far, I’m used to it now. But that can’t have been easy to write.”

Fluttershy nodded, her eyes distant. “I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’t real and all of you were safe and sound in your own beds.”

Twilight smiled, a strange wave of relief washing over her. She cared deeply about Fluttershy, and in truth, had started to worry a little bit about the mental state of her friend. A small confession like that was a comforting gesture.

"Moving on," Twilight said as she let her heart harden back into a analytical state once more. "I'm still not entirely sure how to reconcile the closed room with the facts that have been given."

Fluttershy furrowed her brow in thought as she idly tapped her hoof the ground. "Hmm... Twilight, are you familiar with the cat in a box paradox?"

Mira meowed softly, opening one eye.

Twilight blinked. "Yes, I'm familiar with it. It was used as a somewhat satirical critique of quantum mechanics. Take two cats. Place both of them in separate boxes, each with a magical crystal. Over the course of an hour, there's a fifty percent chance the crystals will activate and swap the two cats. So when you open the box, no matter which box you open, there’s a fifty percent chance of it containing either cat. Or, it could be considered that until you check, the box contains both cats simultaneously."

Fluttershy giggled. "Yes, that's it exactly. You explain it a lot better than I could, Twilight. But, um, anyway, it's kind of like that."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "The paradox was originally designed to make fun of how ridiculous certain interpretations of quantum theory can get when applied to a macro level. It's been widely misused by armchair philosophers ever since to make vague points about the duality of truth and such. And can you believe some versions of the paradox have the cat dying instead? Bleh. No thanks."

"Oh. I see." Fluttershy bit her lip, looking down at the floor and tracing the lines with her hoof. "Um, I’d like to keep using that metaphor anyway, if that's okay."

Twilight started to grind her teeth, but said nothing.

Fluttershy shrank under Twilight’s disapproving stare. “Well, um, since you don’t know which cat is in the box, or what state it’s in, you can speculate as much as you want about it, but until you actually open it up and look, you’ll never know. Right?”

Twilight let out a long sigh. “Yeah, I think I see what you’re getting at, here. As for how something like that would apply to the mystery…”

Mira stood up, stretching languidly. With a graceful saunter she moved over to the edge of the room, and casually leapt up on top of a small bookshelf. Looking disinterested, she raised up a paw and began licking it while staring at Twilight.

Twilight watched the cat with confusion. “Well, er, anyway. If a closed room is like a catbox, you can make up all sorts of speculations on what happened inside, but when you open it up, only the evidence and the bodies will be left behind.”

With seemingly purposeful indifference, Mira walked along the length of the shelf. She stopped behind a small vase, turned to stare at Twilight once more, then moved forward, brushing the vase as she walked which fell off the shelf and shattered.

“Oh no, that’s not a nice thing to do, kitty! You shouldn’t break other ponies’ things, you know. I want to hear an apology from you, missy!” Fluttershy said, quickly flittering over to scold the cat.

Twilight stared at the broken vase. She could’ve caught it easily with her magic. Instead, she walked over and began scooping up the pieces and the dirt.

“What’s this…?” Twilight asked, staring at what appeared to be a rolled up slip of paper in the wreckage.

Unrolling it revealed it to be filled with small, flowery handwriting, and a short poem.

_Do you know where fate will take you?_

_It’s like the cat inside the box._

_How can you know where fate will take you?_

_You don’t know if the cat in the box is dead or alive._

_I know where will fate will take you._

_The cat in the box is dead._


	20. Chapter 16 - Trust

_Authors note: This chapter and those following it makes heavy use of formatting not supported by this site. If you would like to read the story as it is intended to be read, please visit http://www.fimfiction.net/story/163482/the-heart-of-an-author_

* * *

Twilight tore apart the study as she searched through it again and again. There had to be a clue here somewhere. Something, anything to shed light on what had happened in this room. What had happened to Celestia, and Luna, and Pinkie Pie, and...

Her eyes kept being drawn to the pile of ashes in the center of the room, and she shuddered, trying her hardest to deny that possibility.

"Twilight..." Rainbow Dash mumbled as she watched from the corner. "Tell me what I need to do, and I'll do it. Just, anything, I need to..."

"Don't touch anything!" Twilight snapped as she pulled her head out from under a dresser. "I don't want you contaminating any evidence. Not to mention...”

Twilight trailed off, frowning as she raised a hoof to her mouth. "Wait, where's Applejack? She saw what happened, right? Wasn't she right behind you?"

Rainbow Dash started, spinning around. "I... no. I flew up here as fast as I could, and Applejack isn't as fast as me, so..."

Twilight cursed under her breath. "It might not be safe for us to split up. Especially if something was already after her."

"Ain't no need to go running about on my account."

"Applejack!" Twilight cried out, turning to find her friend standing in the doorway. "Are you okay!?"

Applejack barked a short laugh, her voice bitter and hollow. "Twilight, I ain't never been less okay."

Twilight stared at Applejack, looking over the state of her friend. Her eyes were baggy and glazed over with the sheen of a pony who had already given themselves up for death. "Applejack, please. Tell us what happened here. Where are Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie?"

"It's hard to say," Applejack said flatly, turning away to stare at the burned table. "Everything happened so fast."

"What are you talking about?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, stomping her hooves. "You were just telling us about how the others were in danger! Well, where are they? What happened here? Who did this?"

Applejack lowered her head and bit her lip. "I..."

Twilight stepped in between the two of them and spread her wings. "Rainbow, please calm down. Applejack is going through a lot right now." 

When Rainbow Dash backed off with a huff, Twilight turned to speak with a soothing voice, "Now, Applejack, I know this is hard, but it's really important that I know what happened here."

Applejack closed her eyes and nodded. Her mouth worked silently, mimicking the words she was going to say before she finally spoke. "When... When the three of us got here, something was wrong with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Before we could do anything about it, that mare from the portrait, Golden Wish, appeared and started talking all kinds of nonsense. Then she summoned a bunch of shadows, which attacked us. I was able to round them up into the hall, but I got locked out of the room. That's when I came to get you."

Twilight blinked, her mouth falling open. "You're serious? She's actually real? I never thought..." She paused to look over the charred remains of the furniture. "What about all this, then?"

"No idea," Applejack said, shaking her head. "Just the shadows, and then I came to get you."

Rainbow Dash sank to her knees and let out a strangled cry. "This can't be real. Pinkie... Flutters... there's a chance they're okay, right? Maybe they're just being held hostage or something. Twilight, please..."

Twilight closed her eyes and swallowed. She could feel the oppressive weight of despair crushing her to the floor, piled on along with the expectations of her friends that she could somehow still save the day. 

There was still a tiny glimmer of hope that they were alive somewhere. Unless she saw their bodies with her own eyes, she could continue to hold onto that possibility, no matter how remote it might be. 

"Applejack, you said you lured the shadows into the hall, right? Can I see them?"

Applejack took her hat off and wiped at her forehead. "I can show you, yeah. Dunno if they stuck around, though."

"What do you mean by shadows, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"Uh, well," Applejack stammered as she led them out of the study, "like shadow ponies, I guess? Kinda hard to describe. I guess I could say they looked a bit like changelings, but more shadowy."

Twilight pushed ahead to take the lead, her horn at the ready. "And what did you mean about the Princesses acting 'strange'? Can you elaborate on that?"

Applejack let out a sigh. "I said it all happened pretty fast, so I'm not super clear on the details. They looked like puppets, or something."

So this 'Golden Wish' was able to disable both of them in some way. The idea that such a powerful and malicious alicorn could actually exist was still hard to process. 

Rainbow Dash stopped at the bottom of the stairs, then flew up to the top of the entrance hall to get a better look. "I'm not seeing any shadows, AJ. At least, not the kind that move around on their own."

Applejack shrugged. "This was where I left them."

Twilight looked for signs of a struggle but didn't see any. But when it came to magical shadow beasts, who knew? She flew up to join Rainbow in the air, then landed next to that ominous portrait overlooking the entrance to the mansion.

"Are you real, then?" Twilight asked, her voice soft. "Should I expect you to come to life right now to finish what you've started? Or are you just an illusion, skulking in the shadows?"

The portrait gave no response, and Twilight let out a sigh. She needed more information; who was doing this, why, and how? But the books she had stayed up all night researching were useless, and there wasn't anything else to...

"Fluttershy!" Twilight cried out, smacking her head with a hoof. "How could I have forgotten?"

Rainbow Dash dropped down next to her in an instant. "What is it, do you know where she is?!"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But I did have a conversation with her late last night, and I remembered that she said she had a book about Golden Wish in her room. I would've borrowed it, but it was way too late at night."

Rainbow Dash's face fell. "Oh. You really think this is the time to be reading books? Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie could still be in danger, we need to find them!"

"By doing what, just checking every room one by one? This mansion is huge, and there's probably some secret room somewhere we wouldn't be able to find. The book could lead us to where we need to go. Plus, if we have to start looking somewhere, Fluttershy's room is as good of a place to start as any."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "How about you go do that, then. I'm going to go save them." 

She tensed up to immediately speed away, but Twilight grabbed her firmly with her magic. "No way, Dash. It's too dangerous to go out there alone. We need to stick together.”

"Let me go!" Rainbow Dash growled, struggling against the magical bonds.

In a soft voice, Twilight added, "Please? I can't stand to lose any more friends today."

Rainbow Dash wilted and let herself be lowered to the ground. "I'm scared, Twi, I just..."

Twilight nodded, her eyes alight with determination. "I know. I'm scared too, but we'll get through this together, I promise."

Applejack mumbled something in agreement as she joined them at the top of the stairs.

"Right then. Everypony stick close to me and keep your eyes and ears open. We really have no idea what our opponent is capable of," Twilight said.

Twilight lifted a hoof to start leading the way but paused and turned to look at the others. "Er, do either of you actually know where Fluttershy's room is?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged, and they both turned to look at Applejack. 

Applejack blinked, slowly raising her head. "Er, sorry, what was the question again?"

Rainbow Dash scowled, dashing over and butting her forehead against Applejack's. "Fluttershy! You know, the friend of ours who's missing right now? The one who you left to die! You could at least pretend to care about the rest of us, but no. Rarity's the only thing that matters to you, isn't she!?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight cried out, pulling her away with magic once again. "That's completely uncalled for! We can't afford to be fighting each other at a time like this."

"But she...!”

Twilight continued struggling with the pegasus, but stopped suddenly when she heard the sound of Applejack laughing.

"It's alright, Twi. She's right; Rarity was my everything. I love you girls, but compared to her, y'all aren't even on the scale. And now she's gone."

"Applejack..." Twilight stared at her in disbelief. 

Applejack took a few steps down the hall, then turned back. "Fluttershy's room is this way. You coming or what?"

* * *

As they made their way to Fluttershy's room, Twilight had time to imagine up all sorts of horrible nightmares that could be waiting for her. Fortunately, as she shakily pushed the door open, her fears, for once, were unfounded.

"Fluttershy? Pinkie Pie? Hello?" Twilight called out, her eyes darting about and her horn at the ready. There was no sign of any other ponies inside, though the room did look well lived in. 

"She's not here," Rainbow Dash muttered as she lowered her head. "There's gotta be a better place to look."

"Well, help me find what I'm looking for and we might have a place to start," Twilight said as she began levitating Fluttershy's personal belongings into the air. "Should be a book. No idea what it looks like or what it's called."

Rainbow Dash let out a long groan as she pointed towards a small bookshelf in the corner. "I think Fluttershy's been catching up on her reading. This is a waste of time!"

Twilight shook her head. "Please, Rainbow. I need to focus on doing this right now. We can't just run around scared hoping we stumble onto the answer."

Rainbow Dash continued to grumble under her breath, but said nothing more as she began searching the closet. 

Twilight pulled all the books off the shelves with her magic, quickly scanning the titles. There were romances, mysteries, and horror-novels, and some others she didn’t recognize immediately, but nothing about vengeful alicorn spirits. "Applejack, I know you told me a bunch last night, but now that you've actually seen her, is there anything more you can tell me about Golden Wish?"

Applejack kicked at the desk lightly as she lowered her head. "I, uh, well, she looks exactly like that portrait out in the hall, and she talked a bunch of nonsense about stories I didn't really understand."

Twilight frowned as she continued her search. "And what did you mean exactly about Celestia and Luna being puppets?"

"I don't reckon I know. Might not’ve really even been them, just fakes or something."

"I see." Something was off. None of this felt right at all, but she just couldn't wrap her head around it.

“Uh, I think I found something.”

Applejack turned around, holding what appeared to be a envelope in her teeth. Twilight took it gingerly and noted that it was addressed to her, but was otherwise relatively unadorned, a plain envelope with no seal.

Applejack shrugged, looking away. “Was on her desk in the back there.”

Twilight carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. The script was small and cute. It definitely looked like it belonged to Fluttershy.

_Dear Twilight,_

_Don’t let the others see this. I think you’re in grave danger._

_Um, I’m sorry. I’m not very good at explaining things. By the time you read this, I’ll already be dead. Um, I think so, anyway. I’m not very good at predicting the future, either. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am._

_Golden Wish is real, Twilight. Everything that’s happened so far is about you somehow. This sick game that’s being played with our lives. There’s something out there on a higher level than us, pulling our strings like puppets. I wish I understood it, and I wish I could have told you sooner. But that’s not the way this story is written._

_You’re the only pony that can stop this, Twilight._

_I believe in you._

_-Fluttershy_

_P.S. HONESTY is not always the best policy._

Twilight stared at the letter in front of her, quickly reading it a second, then a third time.

“Well? What’s it say?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying up to peek over her shoulder.

Twilight jumped slightly, quickly pulling the letter away and folding it up. “It’s, um, nothing relevant I’m afraid. Any luck with that book yet?”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes, but turned back to continue searching the closet.

Fluttershy… So she really was dead. And she had somehow seen it coming. Why hadn’t she told her earlier? If she had known something, Twilight might have been able to stop all of this from happening in the first place.

Twilight shook her head, trying to hold back tears. None of this made any sense. What was Fluttershy trying to tell her with all this? And that last line…

“Keep looking for me, would you?” Twilight asked, raising her voice. “I just need a moment to think.”

Not bothering to watch the reactions of the others, Twilight stepped out into the hall, partially closing the door behind her.

Twilight unfolded and smoothed out the letter, holding it up to the light and reading it over again. What did it all mean? Was that bit about honesty trying to suggest something about Applejack? Or was this letter even written by Fluttershy in the first place? The writing looked like it might belong to her, but she wasn’t an expert.

Dark shapes from the other side of the paper caught her eye as the light bled through, and she flipped it over to find that the message wasn’t quite done.

“ _ **There are no more than eight ponies in this mansion.**_  


_**Fluttershy is dead.** _

_**Pinkie Pie is dead.** _

_**Rarity is dead.** _

_**At midnight, everypony in this mansion will be dead.** _

_**I will kill you.** _

_…_

  
_Who am I?_ ”

* * *

Twilight turned the page and blinked, staring at the empty sheet in front of her. Had a blank piece of paper gotten mixed in?

The next page was blank as well, as was the one after that. She quickly pulled apart the remaining stack of paper with her magic, spreading them out in the air individually and found no more words awaiting her.

“Fluttershy… where’s the rest of the story?”

“What? It’s right there, isn’t it, Twilight?”

Twilight shook her head, flipping the pages around to check both sides. “There’s nothing here.”

Fluttershy stood up, sifting through the stack of papers herself. “That can’t be right… I finished the story, didn’t I? I know I was tired, but I can’t have gotten that far ahead of myself…”

Twilight pursed her lips. “Could you have left it back at the cottage? You were still working on it when I arrived, weren't you? Maybe we just forgot the grab the last bits.”

Fluttershy sunk low, burying her head under her hooves. “I don’t know, maybe? But if we had left part of it behind, why would we have taken blank pages?”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” Was this really going to be it? It was one thing to have an unsatisfying ending, but to just cut off without any resolution whatsoever? “Well, what do you want to do about it, then?”

Fluttershy whimpered softly. “I think I really didn’t write the end. I must have gotten all twisted up inside my own head and thought I had already put the ending down. I’m sorry, Twilight.”

“Well, how much was really left?” 

Fluttershy shook her head. “A chapter or two? It’s hard to say, I guess.”

Twilight walked away, moving to stare outside her window. The bright sunlight and peaceful weather outside served as a stark contrast to the literary world she had become so engrossed in. “What’s the ending, then? Does Twilight win and solve the mystery? Er, either of them?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond, but stopped, lowering her head. “I… don’t want to say.”

“I see…” Twilight chuckled, an odd smile spreading across her face. “So, unless you go back and write it, or tell me the ending, I won’t be able to tell if the cat is alive or dead, right?” Twilight glanced over at Mira. After knocking the vase over, the cat had curled up and gone back to sleep without a care in the world.

It wasn’t as if she was expecting a happy ending, anyway.

“I guess we could stop and I could write it… but I feel so lost now. I was so sure of myself when I was writing it; everything just flowed onto the page. But now, after being here with you, I’m just not sure if I can get into the right state of mind again. Or if this was ever really a good idea in the first place.”

“Well, it’s natural for a writer to doubt herself, and inspiration doesn’t always come easy. But…” Twilight frowned, tapping a hoof against her chin. “The mystery itself. Are there any absolutely vital clues that are revealed in the missing chapters?”

“Hmm…” Fluttershy scrunched her face up as she scratched at her head. “No, I don’t think so. I mean, I haven’t written it yet, but I’m pretty sure everything’s there that needs to be. It’s really just the narrative that’s inconclusive.”

Twilight grinned and lit up her horn. “Well, how about I solve the mystery right here and now? I’ll find the truth, open up that catbox, and we’ll give Twilight and everypony the happy ending they deserve.”

Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves, her smile peeking out from either side. “If you really think you can do it, Twilight… I believe you have what it takes.”

"That's what this is all about, right? Me-me solving the mystery. Well, 'Great Detective Twilight Sparkle' is on the case!"

Twilight took a few steps backwards and cast a spell. A soft light began to play across the floor, lines growing to form several boxes in an illusory diagram.

"So, across both books we have four closed rooms total, right? In book one, the shed where you and Pinkie were found. Rarity's room where Applejack and Rarity were found. Then in book two, we have Rarity's room again, and the Princesses’ study. All in all, we've got similar locations both times, as well as a similar grouping of deaths."

Fluttershy leaned in, looking over the diagram with clear interest. “These look good, Twilight. And yeah, those are all the main ones, anyway. I guess there’s some minor stuff you could consider as well, but those are all the closed rooms with bodies in them.”

“Let’s start by working backwards then, with the final closed room.” Twilight pulled the fourth diagram into the air, causing it to float between her and Fluttershy. “A closed room where Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were murdered. A key was used to lock the door, but the key was then destroyed inside. Somehow the culprit was able to escape the room without using magic, along with the body of Pinkie Pie. **Fluttershy is dead** , but it wasn’t suicide, nor trap assisted homicide.”

Twilight glanced over at Fluttershy. “I at least assume we can consider the red in that letter to be equally valid? Even if crossing layers doesn’t make any sense.”

Fluttershy nodded, and she continued.

“For the third closed room, we have Rarity murdered inside. Two keys, one locked inside the room, the other sealed in an envelope that was never opened. Once again, no magic, no windows.”

Twilight looked up from the diagrams, catching Fluttershy’s attention. “We don’t have any red truths yet for the first game. I figured it’s already the case, but can I at least get confirmation?”

Fluttershy nodded, placing her hoof on the red orb. “ **Every closed room is a ‘Golden Closed Room’**.”

Well, she had expected that the definition was meant to apply to everything. Both of the first two were relatively similar. Instead of shenanigans involving keys, both were sealed from the inside with a chain lock. Since they were simple enough to unset from the outside with levitation, it wasn’t a particularly popular style of lock in communities with a significant number of unicorns. 

Of course, a dexterous earth pony or a pegasus with a wire could accomplish the same feat.

“It seems a bit too simple, but I guess I should check anyway. _**The culprit was able to set the chain lock from outside the door by using a tool or device such as a wire.**_

“Well, you’re right on the simple part,” Fluttershy said, grinning. “ **For the purposes of this game, no tool or device capable of setting a chain lock from the outside exists**.

“Hmm.” Twilight stood up and began to pace around the room, levitating a cloth off the table and wiping the sweat from her brow. There was a thread running through each one, a trick explaining how the culprit had managed to commit the crime and escape a seemingly closed room without using magic. Each red truth closes off a possible answer, eventually leaving only one out of a limited number of paths as the ‘truth’. But try as she might, it seemed like the only way to properly deduce how to reach the correct path was by guessing until all other options were exhausted. She couldn’t make the clues add up into a solution. Was it the fault of Fluttershy, or herself?

No… maybe she was looking at this the wrong way. Well, she was almost certainly looking at this the wrong way. Rather than a bunch of individually unique and interesting tricks for each room, perhaps each one was thematically and mechanically linked. A central, ‘Golden Trick’, pulling them all together. 

Magic, hidden doors and windows had all been denied across the board. But something each crime could easily hold in common based on the clues left behind… maybe there was something after all. Although in one case it would be a bit of a stretch.

“Fluttershy, I think I have something,” Twilight said, opening her eyes. She hadn’t realized it, but while she was engrossed with her thoughts she had unconsciously set each diagram spinning about her horn. “Are you ready?”

Fluttershy bit her lip and ducked behind her mane, nodding softly.

Twilight took a deep breath, then fired up her spell. “ _ **For every closed room, the culprit was still inside the room hiding at the time Twilight opened it!**_ ”

It was one of the oldest tricks in the book. Why hadn’t she seen it sooner?

“Twilight, I’m…” Fluttershy looked up, blinking several times in rapid succession. “Oh.”

“In each of the closed rooms, there’s more than enough room for it. The layout of the shed was vague, but it’s not unreasonable to assume there were some boxes or crates that would work as a decent hiding spot. For Rarity’s bedroom, under the bed or behind a dresser, or in the third case, disguised as one of the ponykins.” Twilight paused, shuddering. “A creepy thought.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Golden Wish already explicitly denied the possibility of a pony hiding out in the fourth closed room, don’t you remember?”

Twilight grinned. “If I remember correctly, the exact words were, ‘ **At the time Twilight Sparkle entered the study, there were no living ponies inside the study. This applies to all three interior rooms** '. But there’s a slight gap there, in the first sentence.”

“I’m not sure I follow you.”

“ _ **Right after Twilight Sparkle opened the study but before she entered it she paused, coughing on the dust kicked up by tearing the door open. The culprit was hiding nearby, and slipped out of the room right before Twilight actually entered it!**_ ”

Fluttershy fell back on her haunches and raised a hoof to her forehead, chuckling lightly. “Wow. Um, that’s quite a theory, Twilight.”

Twilight found herself beaming as she continued to pace back and forth. “I know, right? It’s a neat trick, but I think it cleanly explains how Golden Wish can run around undetected while still pulling off these murders. To think that Twilight was so close to catching her in the act each time… but unless she checks, she can’t know she’s there, right? It’s your catbox metaphor all over again.”

Fluttershy’s face fell, and she stared at Twilight for a long time, her gaze distant. “ **For each of the closed rooms, the culprit was not present inside the room at the time the door was opened.** ”

Twilight reeled backwards as if she’d been struck in the face. It was that easy, huh? Her theory, cut to ribbons in an instant. She was so sure…

“Come on, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, her voice soft, “is that really all you’ve got? The truth is right in front of you, I’m sure you can see if it you really look.”

Twilight grit her teeth. Fine, then. It was silly to get attached to any particular theory in the first place. She would just have to keep attacking until she hit the weak spot.

“ _ **Before the key to Rarity’s room was sealed in an envelope, it was used to create a mold! Afterwards, the mold was used to create a key, which was used to commit the crime before the culprit destroyed it. At the time Twilight received the key, there were only two keys total**_.”

Fluttershy pawed at the ground, not looking up. “ **For the purposes of this game, no devices exist capable of forging a new key out of a mold**.”

Twilight bit back a curse. “This is getting a little arbitrary, right? In any other mystery, all of these will be perfectly viable solutions and closed room tricks.”

“But this isn’t any other mystery, Twilight. This is mine.”

She was definitely beginning to see why Meta-Twilight had been so frustrated.

“Fine then. _**After committing the crime in the study, the culprit hid themselves somewhere like a dresser drawer before killing themself. Pinkie Pie’s corpse was hidden in the same manner. This bypasses both red truths, as a dead body is no longer ‘the culprit!’**_ ”

Fluttershy let out a long sigh and sunk to the floor. “ **Knocks’ 8th: It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not presented**. Can you provide any foreshadowing or evidence that would lead you to this conclusion?”

“What?” Twilight asked, stomping a hoof. “Why are you bringing this up now? Since when have any of these colored truths required evidence or backing?”

“I know I made everything get a little crazy, but this is still a mystery, Twilight. Whodunnit, howdunnit, and whydunnit all factor into the truth. Maybe the bodies were hiding in the dresser. What kind of author would I be if there weren't any clues pointing to that, and you were just expected to guess the right answer?” Fluttershy stood up back up, and moved to go stare out the window. “I know I’m not perfect, but…”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Why not actually answer the question in red, then? Is it because you can’t?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Fine, if it’ll really help, **the culprit did not die in the study**.”

Blocked at every turn. This whole mystery was a vague, confusing mess with twisted logic and unrestrained cruelty. Yet Fluttershy had written the whole sun-blasted story, all so Twilight could solve it. It hadn’t made the slightest lick of sense from the beginning.

“ _ **Rarity and Applejack committed suicide in the second closed room! After Applejack confessed the truth about her relationship, Rarity freaked out, and after they reconciled they agreed that the only resolution was a lovers suicide!**_ ”

“It’s more plausible than your last try, but **Rarity and Applejack did not commit suicide.** And since I already know what you’ll try next, **Rarity and Applejack did not kill each other.** ”

“ _ **For the first closed room, the culprit dismantled the shed in some fashion and then rebuilt it around the bodies!**_ ”

“ **The shed has remained intact for the entire duration of the game.** ”

“ _ **The culprit killed Pinkie Pie and put her in the shed, then fed or strapped some kind of small bomb to Fluttershy! After forcing Fluttershy to lock herself in, the culprit detonated it, killing her!**_ ”

Fluttershy stared at her blankly. “Twilight, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Twilight growled, stomping a hoof. “I’m just getting started! _**For the fourth closed room, the culprit—**_ ”

“Stop, just stop! That’s enough, okay?” Fluttershy wiped at her eye with a hoof as she continued to stare out the window. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight stared at Fluttershy, her blood still boiling with energy. “This whole thing was your idea. You told me I _had_ to solve this mystery. So I’m trying to solve it!”

Fluttershy hung her head. “I made the mystery solvable… at least, I thought I did. But this will never work. I’m not sure why I ever thought it would. It could be your fault, I guess, but it’s probably mine. I’m sorry for wasting your time, Twilight.”

Fluttershy turned away and started walking to the door, but Twilight teleported in front of her, spreading her wings to block her path. “I won’t let you give up that easily, Fluttershy! Maybe these closed rooms are stumping me, but that doesn’t mean I can’t solve this! I just need a hint, or maybe the actual end of the novel after all.”

“Twilight…” Fluttershy smiled, a pained look on her face. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t think there’s anything more I can give you other than outright telling you the answer. It’s all there. At least, it should be. If you can’t see it… well, it’s probably for the best.”

Fluttershy pushed her way past a stunned Twilight, standing with a disbelieving expression on her face.

“Argh! Then just tell me! If we’ve passed the point of no return, just spoil the thing and tell me why you went through all this trouble in the first place!”

Twilight teleported again, bearing directly down on Fluttershy with a fierce gaze.

Fluttershy flinched back, but continued to make eye contact. “If I just told you the truth, I’m pretty sure you’d hate me. If you figured it out on your own… well, you probably still would, but at least then I tried.”

Twilight blinked, pulling away from her stare. “I could never hate you, Fluttershy. Maybe I’m a little frustrated right now, but we’re friends, remember? Nothing will ever change that.”

“I appreciate that Twilight, but...” Fluttershy continued to stare at Twilight, her eyes beginning to mist over slightly. 

Twilight nodded, pulling her wings in and letting Fluttershy have her space. “Just let me know the truth, Fluttershy. I’ll accept it.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath, then shook her head, chuckling softly to herself as she stared at the floor. “Okay then, here’s a truth for you. It was an experiment, Twilight. I just wanted to field test a bunch of unique ideas for a murder mystery. One I’d actually publish. I just wanted you personally invested in everything because you’re the smartest pony I know and you could tear holes in all of my ideas.”

“I… what?”

Fluttershy nodded, her eyes distant. “Yeah. I mean, I guess if you look at it that way, it wasn’t perfect, but I’m sure there’s enough to work with here.”

This couldn’t be true. Fluttershy had put her through all that… just to get ideas on a novel? No. Twilight took a good long look at the pony before her: a strained expression, eyes avoiding contact with her own and ready to tear up. She saw the cracks in the facade and saw her heart peeking through.

“You’re lying.”

Fluttershy bit her lip in a grimace. “Am I? Prove it.”

“Prove it? How do you expect me to do that?”

Fluttershy pushed past her and opened the door. “A lie that everypony accepts becomes the truth. So unless you’ve got a truth of your own that can supercede mine…”

Did she want another blue truth from her? What answer could she possibly give?

“Goodbye, Twilight. Thanks for putting up with somepony like me. Don’t worry, I’ll probably stick to my cottage for a week or two, but after that we can go back to being friends and pretend this never happened. And no, I won’t be writing a third novel.”

“Fluttershy…”

Twilight stood in her doorway watching Fluttershy walk away, and didn’t go back inside until long after she was out of sight.

* * *

“Twilight, I thought those books were your precious memories. You really shouldn’t treat them like that.”

Spike watched, eyebrow raised, as Twilight threw yet another book across the room, stomping her way through a temper tantrum.

“Who does she think she is, anyway? Getting me all invested in a mystery, in her story. In MY story. Just to deny me an ending, _twice,_ then yank the rug out from under me like that? She makes her villain look downright benevolent!”

Spike let out a sigh. “Come on, Twilight. I still don’t really understand what’s going on here, but Fluttershy was definitely super bummed out when she came to relieve me from animal-care. Do you really think she’s that malicious?”

Twilight wheeled on Spike, her aura flaring up as more books flew into the air. “Of course not! And that’s what makes me so angry! Fluttershy’s still Fluttershy, through and through. How can I possibly be angry at her? It’d be easier if she _was_ a cackling villain!”

Twilight whipped the rest of the books she was holding at the wall, then fell to her haunches, letting some of her anger drain away. She couldn’t stay angry at her, not really. Even if for the moment she was furious.

Just as the second novel had repeated the same setting with similar, but different situations, Twilight found herself in almost the same position she had been last night. Fluttershy had left the incomplete novel here once again, so she could always try re-reading it. There could still be something she overlooked entirely, even if it hadn’t helped the first time. 

Or maybe she really should just give it up, let bygones be bygones, and pretend it never happened.

Would that make Fluttershy happy?

Would that make _her_ happy?

“I’m going to bed,” Twilight announced loudly as she began to stomp off towards the stairs.

If she was going to have weird dreams again tonight too, maybe they would help her make sense of things.

Spike watched as Twilight made her way up the stairs. Shrugging, he turned to start working on the mess she had made that he had known he would have to clean up anyway.

He failed to notice the lithe black form creeping up after her.


End file.
